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Aviation History
2000
2000-1 - 1065.PDF
SPACEFLIGHT Delay prompts rethink over ISS TIM FURNISS/LONDON NASA HAS admitted for the first time that full assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) will not be completed until 2006 - two years later dian forecast when the first element was launched in 1998 and 10 years later than planned when the project was first announced in 1984. The US space agency has adopt ed what Robert Cabana, astronaut and ISS programme manager, describes as a schedule that is more realistic. " We have begun to rethink the entire approach to the assembly process," he says. NASA says it is beginning to reap die benefit of Russia's exper tise and experience in long- duration spaceflight operations and its "marathon approach" to space exploration, as opposed to the USA's "sprinter's approach", born from the Apollo days and con tinuing with the short-duration Space Shutde missions. The station currently comprises three modules, Unity, Zarya and Zvezda, and a Progress unmanned tanker. Although Russia's financial and technical problems have Discovery has been wiled out for its October launch caused some delays to the ISS already and are threatening to cause more, rliere have been prob lems on the US side as well. Several NASA components have been delayed by new technical problems, including the Destiny laboratory module, the launch of which is being delayed for a further 30 to 60 days from January 2001 as a result of computer and command and con trol problems. Meanwhile, the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS 92) was rolled out to launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center on 11 September, as its sister ship Atlantis was docking with die ISS on mission STS 106. Discovery is scheduled to fly the much-delayed STS 94 mission on 5 October to carry the first section of die truss framework diat will pro vide the backbone of die station. STS 92 will also provide anotJier docking port to the station. The launch of Atlantis from pad 39B on 8 September began a frenetic campaign of Shutde missions which should see up to 10 flights before the end of next year. After docking with the ISS, two crewmen, an American and a Russian, made a 6h EVA on 10 September to fix a magnetometer to the outside of the 13-storey space station, opened the aperture of a manual docking target device, plugged external cables between Zarya and Zvezda and installed an EVA foot restraint to be used dur ing later maintenance spacewalks. With the EVA work complete, the STS 106 crew entered the ISS on 11 September to begin prepar ing the station for occupation by early November. The mission has been extended by a day to allow the crew to transfer 2,760kg (6,0801b) of equipment into the three modules. Atlantis had just a 150s launch window for its flight from the Kennedy Space Center on 8 September. Traditionally, windows for missions to die ISS (and previ ously to Mir) have been five min utes long. By launching within a 150s window, the Shuttle saves fuel, which would be useful if one of the main engines failed during launch, when the Shuttle's Orbital Manoevering System system could be required to complement the remaining two main engines. Launching later in a five-minute launch window results in using more propellant to reach the required orbit. • Eutelsat Wl satellite launch fills 'strategic' gap ARIANESPACE successfully launched Eutelsat's VVl com munications satellite on an Ariane 44P booster on flight VI32 from Kourou on 6 September. The satellite was placed into a 300 x 35,942km(186x22,300mile)geo- stationary transfer orbit compared with die published target orbit of 200km by 3 5,941km. The mission was the 56th con secutive successful Ariane 4 launch and the isixth launch by the European company this year. The Astrium-built 3,250kg (7,1601b) Eurostar 2000 Plus satel lite, equipped with 28 Ku-band transponders, is a long-awaited addition at an orbital slot at 10°E diat is of "strategic importance", says Eutelsat, taking over the ser vices provided by Eutelsat 2 F4. The Wl increases Eutelsat's Ku-band satellite fleet to 18. With its coverage of soudiern Africa, Wl becomes die diird Eutelsat satel lite to provide services to die south ern hemisphere. It is also the third Eutelsat satel lite to be launched in five mondis, and there are plans for a further three in 2001, including Eurobird, which is an Ariane launch. Eutelsat has awarded Arianespace two more satellite launches, bringing to 16 the number launched by the European company. Five new Eutelsat satellites are being built for launch in 2002. Arianespace was to have launched an Ariane 5G booster from Kourou on 15 September, on the delayed flight VI30, earning Astra 2G and GE-7 satellites. VI3 3 will be launched on 28 September, carrying die Europe- Star FM1 communications satel lite aboard a 44LP model. Arianespace has an backlog of 39 satellites to be launched in addi tion to nine Automatic Transfer Vehicle Ariane 5 launches to the International Space Station. The Ariane 4 fleet will be retired in 2003 after a 15-year career. • The first Russian Proton DM booster will be launched in Octo ber or November. The vehicle will be equipped widi digital flight con trol, more efficient propellant sys tems and a more powerful set of RD-53 first stage engines, increas ing engine thrust by 9t. This will allow it to place 22t into low eardi orbit, compared to the present 20t capability. The Proton will also be equipped with the new Breeze upper stage, which flew on a stan dard Proton K vehicle in May. • Kistler raises $lbn to test-fly reusable K-l KISTLER AEROSPACE has raised Si billion to fire three reusable satellite launchers on test flights from Woomera, South Australia in 2002. A further $500 million funding has been promised by unidentified investors, "subject to formalities to be finalised by December". The Kistler K-l booster will provide commercial satellite launch services at lower costs by- recovering elements for re-use. The project was launched in 1993 and is expected to generate $1.7 billion in revenues in 12 years. Test flights were originally planned for 1998, widi a first launch in 1999 but fundraising has been difficult. Taiwan China Develop ment Industrial Bank and North rop Grumman are investors. 3 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 19 - 25 September 2000 37
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