European Space Activities Research Articles

THE ESSENCE OF FINANCING THE SPACE INDUSTRY IN THE POST-WAR PERIOD AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE COUNTRY'S RECONSTRUCTION PLAN

This paper studies the issue of financing the Space Industry at the State Level in the Postwar period as part of the country’s recovery plan, as one of the foremost critical zones of technological development and to ensure space security and defence. The European Space Agency (ESA) is, identified as the main player in the European space sector. It is determined that the current structure of ESA – Space 4.0 – provides for the success of European space activities in close coordination with the needs of European societies and economies. Despite all the prospects, offered by the Space Industry, a number of barriers can hinder full participation in the space economy. These ‘barriers’ include the requirement of large capital investments, technological risk and longer development times. Public-private partnerships have been, identified, as an effective way to overcome these barriers, so the government should play an important role in promoting innovation through the space sector. The war in Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, once again, reminds us of the unique value, and critical use of outer space for security and defence purposes. From intelligence gathering and monitoring to the availability of communications. It is determined that the war already has serious consequences for the European space sector. The Space Industry of Ukraine is a critical component of the national economy of Ukraine because it is the motor of numerous imaginative changes in other segments of the economy and contributes to the improvement of social, political, financial and natural circles of society. In Ukraine, there's an incessant disappointment in the State to fulfil its commitments to the ventures in the Space Industry. In the conditions of full-scale, ‘war’ the Space Industry is a key element of national security and defence of Ukraine. The financing of the Space Industry at the State level in the post-war period is crucial as part of the country’s recovery plan.

Shifting articulations of space and security: boundary work in European space policy making

ABSTRACT European space policy is currently at a watershed. In 2021, there will be two institutions responsible for European space activities: The EU Space Agency (EU SPA) and the civilian European Space Agency (ESA) founded in 1975. This article investigates how new objectives and governance scheme(s) of European space activities reflect the increasing securitisation of space in Europe. Linking work in critical security studies to the concept of boundary work from science and technology studies (STS) I outline three phases of boundary work – expansion, expulsion and protection of autonomy – that all show how the dividing lines between peaceful and militarised space activities have become increasingly blurred. The conclusion argues that we currently witness a shift in the visions of European integration in space, with ESA remaining outside the EU framework and open to non-EU members while the EU SPA is accessible to EU members only and explicitly dedicated to the use of space for security. As the strategic potential of outer space is likely to grow, the paper offers a critical empirical investigation of the ongoing transformation in European space policy that has significant consequences for how we envision a “united Europe in space”.

A Perspective of European Space Activities—A Conversation With Elena Grifoni-Winters

In this article, an interview to Elena Grifoni-Winters, Head of the Cabinet of the Director-General of the European Space Agency, is presented. The interviewer is Alfonso Farina, Honorary Chair of the IEEE Radar Conference 2020, Florence, Italy, September 21–25, 2020.

The common objectives of the European Nordic countries and the role of space

The European Space Agency (ESA) has twenty two Member States with common goals of engaging in European space activities. However, the various Member States have a variety of governance structures, strategic priorities regarding space and other sectorial areas depending on their cultural and geopolitical aspirations. The Nordic countries, namely Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, have similarities which result often in common geopolitical and cultural aspects. These in turn shape their respective priorities and interests in setting up their policies in a number of sectorial areas like shipping and fisheries, energy, immigration, agriculture, security and defence, infrastructures, climate change and the Arctic. Space technology, navigation, earth observation, telecommunication and integrated applications can assist the Nordic countries in developing, implementing and monitoring policies of common interest. This paper provides an in-depth overview and a comprehensive assessment of these common interests in policy areas where space can provide support in their realisation. The first part provides a synthesis of the Nordic countries respective priorities through analysing their government programmes and plans. The priorities are classified according to the six areas of sustainability: energy, environment and climate change, transport, knowledge and innovation, natural resources (fisheries, agriculture, forestry, mining, etc), and security and external relations. Although the national strategies present different national perspectives, at the same time, there are a number of similarities when it comes to overall policy objectives in a number of areas such as the Arctic and climate change. In other words, even though the Arctic plays a different role in each country's national context and there are clear differences as regards geography, access to resources and security policies, the strategies display common general interest in sustainable development and management of resources, protection of the environment, international cooperation and regional security. The second part of this paper focuses on the national space strategies and indicates the main priorities and trends. The priorities vary from one country to the other and can include science, navigation, earth observation, human space flight, launchers, technology development, and/or applications. The motivation for investing in space activities also change (e.g. international cooperation, industrial competitiveness, societal benefits, job creation).

Space for Ambitions: The Dutch Space Program in Changing European and Transatlantic Contexts

Why would a small country like the Netherlands become active in space? The field was monopolized by large countries with large military establishments, especially in the early years of spaceflight. Nevertheless, the Netherlands established a space program in the late 1960s. In this paper I will analyze the backgrounds of Dutch space policy in international post-war politics, national industrial policy, and science. After the Second World War, European space activities were shaped by the interplay between transatlantic and European cooperation and competition, limited by American Cold War diplomacy. At the national level, the Dutch space program was shaped firstly by two powerful companies, Philips electronics and Fokker Aircraft. As I will demonstrate, these two firms sought to gain crucial management skills as well as technological ones. Meanwhile, the nation’s astronomers were able to capitalize on an advantageous confluence of political, economic and scientific ambitions to forward their own agenda. They succeeded in obtaining two of the most expensive scientific instruments ever built in the Netherlands: the Astronomical Netherlands Satellite (ANS, launched 1974) and the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS, 1983). Both were joint Dutch-American missions, but the nature of the cooperation on each was very different, reflecting the changing relationship between America and Western Europe from the 1950s until the 1980s.

Crafting a legal framework for a coherent future structure for European Space Activities

Abstract As ESA and the EU seek to formalise and regulate their new, closer relationship, a major research project being carried out at the University of Cologne aims to analyse the pros and cons of the various possible models of cooperation. This report describes the aims and methods of the project. One task it has set itself is to propose solutions to the legal problems that will inevitably arise when two organisations with differing constitutions and memberships get together.

1.2.4 The System Engineering Process Definition as Part of the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS)

ABSTRACTThe European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) is an initiative established in 1993 to develop a coherent, single set of user‐friendly standards for use in all European space activities. The documentation architecture consists of the three branches Project Management, Product Assurance and Engineering. The first level 2 document in the Engineering branch (ECSS‐E‐10) is dedicated to System Engineering and has been released in 1996.

EuroMoon 2000 A plan for a European Lunar South Pole Expedition

EuroMoon 2000 is an initiative by ESA and European Space industry to mark the progress of European space activities into the new millennium. The objective is to land a spacecraft at a continuously sunlit point on the rim of the lunar South Pole crater. EuroMoon 2000 will be launched by a Soyuz-Molniya vehicle in early 2001 to make a landing in April of that year. An initial orbital phase will carry out detailed mapping of the landing area, and establish the lunar gravitational potential accurately in a rehearsal for the descent. The lander will use a combination of inertial guidance and optical imaging augmented by ground support to land within a 100 m target circle. The mission design is aimed at providing “hold points” and recovery capabilities to provide the highest possible likelihood of mission success. To achieve short schedules, low risk and low cost, emphasis is being placed on maximum use of existing equipment. The project is being run as an ESA/industry partnership with a small core team providing prime activities.

EVA 2000: A European/Russian space suit concept

For the European manned space activities an EVA space suit system was being developed in the frame of the Hermes Space Vehicle Programme of the European Space Agency (ESA). The space suit was to serve the needs for all relevant extravehicular activities for the Hermes/Columbus operations planned to begin in 2004. For the present Russian manned space programme the relevant EVAs are performed by the Orlan-DMA semi-rigid space suit. The origin of its development reaches back to the 1970s and has since been adapted to cover the needs for extravehicular activities on Salyut and MIR until today. The latest modification of the space suit, which guaranteed its completely self-contained operation, was made in 1988. However, Russian specialists considered it necessary to start developing an EVA space suit of a new generation, which would have improved performance and would cover the needs by the turn of the century and into the beginning of the next century. Potentially these two suit developments could have a lot in common based on similarities in present concepts. As future manned space activities become more and more an international effort, a safe and reliable interoperability of the different space suit systems is required. Based on the results of the Munich Minister Conference in 1991, the European Space Agency and the Russian Space Agency agreed to initiate a requirements analysis and conceptual design study to determine the feasibility of a joint space suit development, EVA 2000. The design philosophy for the EVA 2000 study was oriented on a space suit system design of: • —space suit commonality and interoperability • —increased crew productivity and safety • —increase in useful life and reduced maintainability • —reduced development and production cost. The EVA 2000 feasibility study was performed in 1992, and with the positive conclusions for EVA 2000, this approach became the new joint European/Russian EVA Suit 2000 Development Programme. This paper gives an overview of the results of the feasibility study and presents the joint requirements and the proposed design concept of a jointly developed European/Russian space suit.

Civil and military space in Europe: An industrial perspective

If European space activities are to remain successful, change is needed. Greater emphasis must be placed on the needs of users, so that space technology development becomes more market driven. Synergy between civil and military applications should be pursued, e.g. through the adoption of dual-use technology. Finally, the political organization of space needs to be reworked with the aim of developing an overall European space policy - something that does not currently exist. This can best be achieved by the establishment of a new authority, probably within the context of the European Union (EU).

The UK parliamentary space committee

In the past few years the UK has become increasingly active as the financial conscience of the European Space Agency. This is not because the UK government has a wish to spend more on its national space effort; it is because it remains unconvinced of the benefits of certain European space activities, notably manned endeavours. In the absence of an effective UK space lobby, the government's policies have remained largely unchallenged. This article traces the growth of the Parliamentary Space Committee in the context of developments in recent European space policy and highlights the need for an active UK space lobby.

French military space policy and European cooperation

Alone among European countries, France pursues an independent defence policy; along with the UK it has also begun to exploit the military aspects of space. This article considers the relationship between French military space policy and European cooperation in civil space projects. It examines the history of France's military space ventures and the largely unsuccessful attempts at joint efforts in the field, but makes clear that the French Ministry of Defence has benefited from civil space cooperation. While the prospects for European military space cooperation remain distant for a variety of reasons, France's policy of maintaining partial autonomy in the military sphere while taking a leading role in European civil space activities, remains the most sensible course for the future.

Italian industry's approach to space

European space activities began in the 1960's. The development of what was initially scientific research and which later spread to the enthusiastic involvement of Europe's most advanced industry is by now familiar history. The organization of ELDO and ESRO, which eventually gave way to today's ESA, occured in a span of less than a decade. Many major European countries also commenced their national space programmes during this period. This report examines the space initiatives taken by Italian industry.

On the Space Technology for the Remote Sensing of Non-Renewable Earth Resources

General trends of space remote sensmg technology are overviewed from the non-renewable earth resources stand point. Since the launch of Landsat-1 by NASA, in both Japan and US the applicabilities of space technology for the assessment of global resources have been extensively investigated, hence in this paper general movements of Landsat project, including future Landsat-D, are explained as well as other related US projects such as the ones which utilize future shuttle flights. In addition, some brief concepts on European space activities, especially on French satellite SPOT are studied. Furthermore, the importance of understanding the general international situations which Japan has to take into account bor its own projects is emphasized and discussed.