JULY 1990, NASA TECH BRIEFS, VOL 14, NO 7 FRANCE: A LEADER IN SPACE France has been active in space R&D since the early 1960s. In 1965, France placed a satellite in orbit using its own resources. Today, France is the number three spacefaring nation, after the United States and the Soviet Union. French efforts are balanced between a strong national program under the leadership of the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (French Space Agency) and a leading role in the projects of the European Space Agency. A characteristic success of the national program is the series of SPOT remote sensing satellites: SPOT 1 has been in operation since 1986; SPOT 2 was placed in orbit early in 1990; SPOT 3 is under construction; and SPOT 4, decided upon in 1989, will ensure continuity of data until the end of the century. Pictures from SPOT, with 10-meter resolution, are marketed by the SPOT Image Company and its U.S. subsidiary, SICorp. France promoted the European launch vehicle Ariane and made a major contribution to the funding of the European Space Agency program. Arianespace, the company set up to market the launcher, has gained more than half the world market open to commercial competition. The French space industry is the European leader, its capabilities and experience range from the production of sensors and complex systems to exercising full responsibility as main contractor for complete satellite and ground equipment systems. I am sure that beyond current scientific collaboration, illustrated by the Topex-Poseidon project, the tradition of scientific and commercial cooperation between France and the United States will go from strength to strength. -- Paul Quiles Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Space FRANCE'S HIGH TECHNOLOGY IN SPACE France is the leading space power in Europe. Its space effort began in March 1962 with the creation of a national space agency, the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES). France was a founding member of European space organizations such as the ESRO and the ELDO, which were replaced in 1973 by a single cooperative body, the European Space Agency (ESA). The French are politically, financially, and technically influential at ESA. In addition to being the largest contributor, providing more than a third of the ESA's funds, France has provided valuable proposals, including the ESA's first launch vehicle, Ariane, and now the Ariane-5 heavy-lift launcher and the Hermes manned spaceplane. Together with the Columbus space station initiated and principally sponsored by Germany and Italy, Hermes and Ariane-5 are the largest and most expensive programs underway in Europe. The development of this unprecedented space triad represents a $20 billion investment by the 1 ESA's 13 member states. Ariane-5 is to replace past Ariane rockets for commercial launches of geostationary and polar satellites. It is also designed to loft into low-Earth orbit the Hermes spaceplane, which will service the European orbital infrastructure, including Columbus. Hermes also will have the capability to visit foreign space stations, including the American Freedom station and the Soviet Mir facility. The hypersonic glider will carry three crew members and three tons of payload into space station orbits at approximately 450 km. Its initial autonomy of seven days could later be expanded to one month. Hermes and Columbus, while appearing modest compared to U.S. and Soviet capabilities in similar domains, will be extremely important to Europe because they will give it autonomous access to manned space flights. This ambitious goal is within European capabilities, both technically and financially. European aerospace firms, especially those presented in this survey, have the high-tech capabilities needed to meet the challenges of manned space flight. FROM SATELLITE AND ROCKETS TO THE GOAL OF MANNED SPACEFLIGHT: AN OVERVIEW OF FRENCH INDUSTRY'S ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES This year, France will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its first satellite launch. On November 26, 1965, the 41 kg Asterix satellite was launched from Hammaguir in the Sahara Desert and put into orbit to test the performance of its pioneering rocket, Diamant. Sence then, France has continually increased its space effort. In 1990, CNES will spend nearly $2 billion for space activities, with the lion's share (40 percent) going to ESA. The French aerospace industry presently employs more than 10,000 people, mainly skilled engineers and technicians. Major French aerospace companies include: Aerospatiale, Matra, Alcatel, Dassault, SEP, SNPE, Arianespace, CLS Argos, SPOT Image, and Novespace. The latter four are among the 15 commercial subsidiaries CNES has founded over the last 20 years. REORGANIZING THE SPACE INDUSTRY Three leading French aerospace companies are prime contractors for satellite systems in the fields of communications, observatino, and sci8ence. The government-owned Aerospatiale and the privately-led Matra are manufacturing scientific, communications, direct broadcasting, and remote sensing satellites as part of national and international programs. Both have expertise in developing subsystems such as structures, thermal and attitude controls, data processing equipment, on-board computers, and software. They also develop instruments and systems for biomedical and materials processing experiments in the microgravity environment of space. Alcatel Espace, the only major French company fully dedicated to space activities, is a leading manufacturer of satellite payloads and space borne equipment for communications and military surveillance systems. The French Ministry of Defense selected Alcatel as prime contractor for the Syracuse military communications satellite system. The contract for Syracuse 2 is worth $700 million. 2 Aerospatiale and Alcatel are working on an agreement to merge their respective satellite activities into a single unit. The joint venture should be established by the end of 1990. Matra Space recently teamed with Marconi Space Systems to create Matra Marconi Space (MMS). Matra is majority owner and will retain its previous deal with British Aerospace to jointly develop Eurostar satellite platforms. Matra has established alliances with several other European companies, including Crisa (Spain), Spacebel (Belgium), and Intecs (Italy). These joint ventures are part of an effort by aerospace companies to diversify and build market share in order to cope with the unified European market of 1993. MATRA EXTENDS ITS BASE Last year, Matra extended its strong European base by gaining control of Fairchild Industries in the United States. The French company bought three divisions of Fairchild -- Space, Communication and Electronics, and Control systems -- with a combined staff of 2100 and total sales of $250 million in 1989. The new entity, named the Fairchild Space and Defense Corp. (FSDC), "will remain an autonomous American company" according to Claude Goumy, MMS chairman. With its European subsidiaries and American acquisition, MMS now represents a space group with 4000 workers, sales approaching $830 million, and order totaling approximately $1.5 billion. The unit's operating profit is between six and seven percent, according to Goumy. MMS is now ranked third among the world's satellite manufacturers, behind two American giants, Hughes Aircraft and GE Astro Space. Goumy expects MMS to grow 15 percent annually. "The group will employ 5000 workers and achieve $1 billion in sales by 1992," he predicted. Matra is involved in five areas of space business: communications, observation satellites, scientific satellites and instruments, space borne avionics, and launcher equipment bays for Ariane. The company is prime contractor for numerous civil and military satellites, including Telecom 2, Hispasat, Locstar, SPOT, Helios, ERS, Hipparcos, and Soho. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (Soho), part of the international Solar-Terrestrial Physics Program, will be launched by an American rocket in 1995. Matra has developed space-borne instruments for Earth Observation satellites, including CCD cameras for SPOT and imaging radiometers and infrared sensors for Meteosat satellites. One Meteosat radiometer set a world record by sending more than 400,000 images during its seven-year lifetime. VSATs (very-small-aperture terminals) also attracted MAtra. Through Polycom, a cooperative venture with France Telecom, the company has sold more than 1000 VSATs in 70 countries. These one-way terminals are jointly developed by Matra, Fuba of Germany, and Harris Corp., of the U.S. Matra is now addressing the two-way VSAT market and also wants to enter the direct broadcasting business. One way Matra hopes to increase its space business is by expanding into the area of satellite services. The French group is a shareholder in service companies such as Arianespace and SPOT Image, and intends to gain a foothold in the mobile communications business by participating 3 in new ventures such as Locstar, the French radio-determination satellite system (RDSS) initiated by CNES. Locstar will be developed and operated by the privately owned company Locstar SA, another commercial subsidiary of CNES. The L-band RDSS will be a two-way system designed for mobile use on land, at sea, or in the air. It will use two MMS-built geostationary satellites scheduled for launch by Ariane in 1992. Locstar will compete with other RDSS systems sponsored by international organizations such as Eutelsat and Inmarsat. Eutelsat is presently promoting its Euteltracs system, a European version of the U.S. Omnitracs system. Alcatel Espace recently signed a contract with Qualcomm Inc. to promote and sell Euteltracs mobile receivers in Europe. ALCATEL ESPACE'S ELECTRONICS IN SPACE The Alcatel group was restructured earlier this year and two new units were formed: a radio, defense, and space company chaired by Jacques Imbert, and a space division headed by Jean-Claude Husson, who also serves as president of Alcatel Espace. The French firm is a leading producer of communications satellite payloads and space-borne electronic equipment, including power amplifiers, repeaters, receivers, transmitters, multiplexers, filters, and antennas. It develops satellite antennas for the 2 to 90 GHz range and also produces ground stations. Telspace, an Alcatel subsidiary, has sold more than 2000 Earth stations worldwide and is now moving into the VSAT market. Alcatel Espace has equipped more than 40 national and international satellites. The company developed payloads and equipment for several communications and direct broadcasting satellites, including TDF, TV SAT, Tele-X, Telecom 2, and Eutelsat 2. It provided telemetry, command, and ranging equipment for scientific satellites such as Giotto and Ulysses, and produced much of the on-board electronics for SPOT, Helios, and other Earth observation satellites. Alcatel is a member of the international team For Aerospace selected to build five new Intelsat 7 communications satellites. Moreover, it received a contract from GE Astro Space to build a transmitter-receiver for NASA's Mars Observer craft, scheduled for launch in 1992. The equipment will relay data collected on Mars' surface by French balloons deployed by the Soviet spacecraft Mars 94. The first European experiment in inter-satellite link is being developed at Alcatel Espace under a CNES contract. The Ka-band orbital link will be tested between two European satellites: Olympus 1, already in geostationary orbit, and the retrievable carrier Eureca, planned for launch aboard the space shuttle in September 1991. Under contract to ESA, Alcatel has participated in design studies of Data Relay Satellites slated launch in 1996. The European DRS will transmit data in the Ka-band at 400 MBits/s. In summary, Alcatel Espace's know-how covers the technologies of communications satellite systems from 400 MHz to 30 GHz. In cooperation with the Canadian companies Spar and Comdev, the French firm is working on military equipment using even higher frequencies -- 40-60 GHz (ELF). 4 Alcatel's expertise extends to microwave instruments and data processing techniques for space-borne synthetic aperture radars (SARs). The company is in charge of the radio frequency calibration subsystem for the Active Microwave Instrument of ERS-1, the first European radar satellite. The radar processing equipment employs surface acoustic wave devices and other innovative technologies developed by AME Space, Alcatel's Norwegian affiliate. Alcatel Espace is studying designed of C- and S-band imaging radars for future civilian satellites, including the European Polar Platform. CNES awarded Alcatel a contract to build a prototype SAR called Radar 2000 which will feature a resolution of 4 to 20 m with a field of view ranging from 20 to 40 km. The rapid-scanning, phased-array antenna will be fitted with several hundred transmitting-receiving modules using monolithic circuits. Alcatel researchers are also studying a high resolution space-borne radar for military applications such as the detection of surface ships. CNES awarded Alcatel Espace $20 million to develop the first French space-borne radar-altimeter, dubbed Poseidon, which will fly with an American SAR on the Topex oceanography satellite to be launched by Ariane in June 1992. From its orbit 1300 km above the Earth, Poseidon will measure ocean altitude with an accuracy of 3 to 4 cm. A prototype of Poseidon is now being tested at CNES. "Its performance seems at least as good as that of the American radar-altimeter," said Mr. Husson. AEROSPATIALE: FROM THE FORCE DE FRAPP TO SATELLITES AND ROCKETS Aerospatiale-Strategic and Space Systems Division is tasked with developing satellites and rockets as well as ballistic missiles for the French "Force de Frappe." This year, for the first time, "space is exceeding military business," according to Michel Delaye, the new division head. It represents about 52 percent of the division's total turnover, estimated at $1.3 billion. Over the past 25 years, Aerospatiale has contributed to the development of 60 satellites and today is prime contractor for approximately 40 percent of all civilian satellites developed in Europe. Its space group severed as prime contractor for several recent communications and meteorological satellites, including Meteosat, Arabsat, TDF 1 and 2, Tele-X, and Eutelsat 2. On May 28, Aerospatiale delivered the Eutelsat 2/F1, the first of five new communications satellites ordered by Eutelsat. The satellite is planned for launch this year by Ariane, as are the MOP 2 and TDF 2. TDF 1 and 2 are France's first direct broadcasting satellites; they can relay up to five television programs through powerful beams over France and most of Europe. Another recent achievement by Aerospatiale's space division is the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), built for ESA. This sophisticated astronomy satellite is equipped with a 60-cm aperture telescope installed inside a large cryostat cooled by liquid helium. The 2.4-ton observatory is slated for launch by an Ariane 4 in 1993. Aerospatiale is developing several other French and European satellites, including SPOT, Helios, and ERS-1. For the Helios military reconnaissance satellite, it is providing the structure, solar panels, and thermal control system, as well as the main instrument -- an 5 optoelectronic camera that will take high-resolution visible and infrared pictures. The first Helios satellite, weighing about 2 metric tons, is planned for launch into heliosynchronous orbit by Ariane in mid-1993. Aerospatiale is the European leader in space transportation systems, including Ariane rockets and the Hermes spaceplane. It manufactures propellant tanks for the liquid-fueled Ariane rockets. The company integrates the first and third stages of the launchers at a facility in Les Mureaux, near Paris. New facilities were built to integrate the Ariane 5's cryogenic first stage, which is 5.4 m in diameter and 30 m tall. When fully assembled, it will be ferried by a barge to Le Havre, where it will be shipped to Kourou. Aerospatiale's space and aircraft division are working in tandem to develop the Hermes spaceplane. "It's a challenging program that requires major breakthroughs in several advanced space technologies," said Delaye. "But it will pave the way for the development of piloted space systems and hypersonic reentry vehicles by European industry, who will then be better prepared to address the design of future shuttles." The company is also studying servicing vehicles for the European in orbit infrastructure. This includes a transfer orbital stage and a crew rescue capsule. Supported by its experience with ballistic reentry bodies and Hermes, Aerospatiale has signed an agreement to assist the Lockheed Missiles and Space Company in responding to NASA's request for the Assured Crew Return Vehicle (ACRV). Delaye's team is conducting preliminary concept and design studies of a follow-on to Ariane-5. This is part of the company's internal work on future reusable space vehicles. According to Delaye, Aerospatiale favors a two-stage, rocket-type vehicle that would lift off vertically and land horizontally on a runway. Aerospatiale's space aircraft and tactical divisions are participating in an assessment study of hypersonic vehicles sponsored by the French Ministry for Research and Technology. The aircraft division developed the Concorde and is now cooperating with British Aerospace on preliminary studies of a next-generation supersonic transport, while the tactical division developed the world's only operational ramjet missile: the ASMP medium-range nuclear missile. DASSAULT GOES TO SPACE WITH HERMES Dassault, the well known combat aircraft manufacturer, became a major player in the space industry five years ago when it was named delegated prime contractor for the Hermes spaceplane. Dassault's space activities began in 1962 with the development of the MD 620 ballistic missile and concept studies of a hypersonic vehicle called TAS. In 1972, under contract to Boeing and Grumman, the company designed, developed, and tested a candidate thermal protection system for the space shuttle. The Hermes project marks Dassault's reentry into the space business after more than a decade of absence. The company is responsible for Hermes' aerodynamic design, reentry trajectories and related systems, atmospheric light control systems, and subsonic flight tests. These tasks are extremely challenging because of Hermes' small size and mass, explained Jean Roubertie, Dassault's director of space programs. The 6 spaceplane will weigh between 21-23 metric tons and be designed for an extended flight envelope ranging from 160 to 16,000 knots and atmospheric reentry from Mach 29. External temperatures will vary from -101 to +1816 degrees C. Hermes' aluminum structure will require thermal protection systems that can support the effect of oxidation during 30 successive reentries. "Hot" fuselage parts such as the nose, winglets, leading edges, and control surfaces will be made of carbon and ceramic composite integral structures developed by Aerospatial and SEP. "Cold" surfaces will be covered by ceramic tiles or lightweight multilayered insulation comprised of glass or quartz fibers. Flight control of the hypersonic glider will be achieved through configuration controlled vehicle (CCV) techniques developed for the Rafale. For atmospheric test flights at subsonic speeds, Hermes will be dropped from an aircraft carrier such as Airbus. Dassault has also proposed using a modified Falcon jet for testing and qualifying approach and landing procedures one year before the first orbital flight, now planned for 1998. Dassault is also involved in technology development for astronaut extra- and intra-vehicular activity (EVA/IVA). More than 30 European firms are developing EVA/IVA suits and life support systems under contract to Dassault and Dornier of Germany. The IVA system includes ejection seats for Hermes' three crew members. Dassault is considering using ejector seats similar to those developed for the Soviet shuttle Buran. They would enable safe ejection at speeds up to Mach 3. In addition to Hermes, Dassault is investigating reusable hypersonic space transportation systems as part of the Star-H study funded by CNES. Star-H us derived from Dassault's TAS research. The new design employs a large hypersonic plane to launch a small spaceplane propelled by a jettisonable booster. This element is the only nonrecoverable part of the 400-ton vehicle, scaled to carry a Hermes-type spaceplane in low Earth orbit with a payload of approximately 3 tons. The Star-H program aims to build a realistic data base on aerothermodynamics, airframe engine integration, stage separation, structures, and materials. Further, it looks to define aerodynamic codes, structural loads, and other parametric laws which could be used in designing manned hypersonic vehicles for space or transatmospheric missions. Dassault is also conducting studies of planetary reentry systems in cooperation with Marconi of the United Kingdom, Dornier, and SEP. The studies involve various types of aeroshells designed to protect entry probes dropped on outer planets or bodies such as comets. Now in the beginning stages, space activities will account for a modest three percent of Dassault's turnover in 1990. The company hopes to raise that figure to ten percent. SEP, THE MOTOR SPECIALIST SEP (Societe Europeenne de Propulsion) is the only company in Europe and one of the few in the world with the capability to produce both liquid and solid rocket engines of various sizes for civil and military applications. Its production ranges from small tactical missiles to large stages of ballistic missiles and space boosters, and includes 7 conventional and cryogenic liquid engines for space vehicles. The company has 4000 workers and an annual turnover of approximately $800 million, according to SEP chairman Jean Sollier, who compares the firm's size to that of Thiokol in the U.S. SEP's main business is liquid rocket engines for the Ariane family of launchers. The company will produce several hundred Viking and HM7 engines for Ariane 4 rockets. Each Ariane 4 uses nine Vikings on the first and second stages and one HM7 on the third stage. The Viking is a storable liquid propellant engine which delivers an average thrust exceeding 700 kN. The HM7 is the first operational cryogenic engine in Europe. The turbopump-fed engine burns a mixture of liquid oxygen and hydrogen with a rated thrust of more than 60 kN and a chamber pressure of 31-36 bars. SEP is prime contractor for the Vulcain cryogenic engine that will propel the Ariane 5's first stage. An open-cycle turbopump engine, the Vulcain works under a chamber pressure of 100 bars to deliver approximately 110 tons of thrust. It burns about 24 tons of hydrogen and 128 tons of oxygen in 560 s with a specific impulse of 430 s. SEP received a contract worth more than $260 million to develop the Vulcain. The first engine, delivered in April, will be fired this summer at the SEP test bed in Vernon, near Paris. SEP has teamed with the Italian firm BPD to develop and manufacture the Ariane 5's huge solid boosters. The joint venture, called Europropulsion, received a $670 million contract. Ariane 5 will use two solid boosters to lift the rocket during the first two minutes of flight. Each booster weighs about 260 tons, including 230 tons of composite propellant, and has a nominal thrust of 600 tons. The boosters are 26 m long, 3.1 m in diameter, and have three segments, including two weighing more than 100 tons. They are produced on the launch site in Guiana. The French firm is now developing advanced rocket engines for future applications on launch vehicles. Last year, it successfully tested an HM7 cryogenic engine equipped with a ceramic nozzle made of a carbon silicon carbide material called Sepcarbinox. The engine was test-fired for 750 s and 900 s and sustained operating temperature up to 1800 degrees C. The ceramic nozzle is 1 m in length and diameter and weighs only 25 kg. SEP research shows that a cryogenic engine fitted with this type of non-deployable nozzle can increase payload mass by 65 kg on Ariane 4 and 1650 kg on Ariane 5. SEP is also conducting research on low-thrust liquid engines under contract to DGE. It has tested the major components of a 20 N engine designed for attitude control of satellites and the Hermes spacecraft. During preliminary ground tests, the injector and thrust chamber have been fired for one hour at 1600 degrees C. Previously, the company developed MMH-N2O4 engines for attitude control of TDF and TV-SAT direct broadcasting satellites. It also built the Mage Apogee motor for satellite transfer into geostationary orbit. SEP has established technological and commercial links with some prominent U.S. aerospace firms. Five years ago it signed a long-term agreement with Rocketdyne to work on liquid propulsion concepts for future launchers. It has sold licenses for its advanced composite materials to three American companies: Corning Glass, for development of 8 a carbon-carbon product for human prosthesis; Dupont de Nemours, for a ceramic material used in a classified defense program; and B.F. Goodrich, for carbon-carbon disks applied to aircraft brakes. Earlier this year, SEP was chosen to provide the composite rocket engine nozzle for the ERINT experimental missile developed by LTV. Flight tests will begin in 1991. "The U.S. is a high-priority market for SEP," said Mr. Sollier, who hopes to participate in propulsion research for the National Aerospace Plane and other U.S. aerospace projects. SEP and Snecma recently set up a joint venture called Hyperspace to work on hypersonic propulsion for future atmospheric vehicles. SNPE: MAKING MAGIC POWDER FOR ROCKETS SNPE (Societe Nationale des Poudres at Explosifs) is developing and producing solid propellants for civil and defense applications such as tactical and ballistic missiles and space rocket motors. Last year, the company established a defense and space division headed by Pierre Dumas. The division is responsible for half of SNPE's turnover, which amounted to $650 mission in 1989. Five years ago, the group established a sales branch in the United States, SNPE Inc., located in New Jersey, is developing the company's full range of chemical products. SNPE's main customer for space products is CNES. The company started with UDMH (unsymmetrical dymethylhydrazine), which has been produced by its chemical division in Toulouse since 1983. Initially, the liquid propellant for Ariane rockets was purchased from China and the Soviet Union. Now, however, Ariane's liquid fuel is produced in France and is purer than the imported versions. The company is working with BPD of Italy to produce solid propellant for Ariane 5 boosters. They are using Butalane, a composite propellant made of aluminum and ammonium perchlorate. It delivers a specific impulse of 244 s (French standard), which is similar to the performance of the space shuttle's boosters. SNPE recently expanded its ammonium perchlorate manufacturing facility in Toulouse to increase its annual production form 800 tons to 6000 tons, which is half the production capacity of existing U.S. facilities. The Toulouse plant will be activated in July, according to Claude Grosmire, SNPE's director of space propulsion. SNPE and BPD have formed a new company called Eupera (European Perchlorate Ammonium) to coproduce the chemical agent in Toulouse. The companies previously established a joint venture called Regulus to build and operate a manufacturing plant in Kourou for the two largest segments of the Ariane 5 boosters. The "Usine de Propergol de Guyane" (Guiana propellant plant) will be inaugurated later this year. The highly automated plant will have only 150 workers. Based on a launch rate of eight rockets per year, production for Ariane 5 will amount to 3800 tons by 1998 and is expected to continue until the year 2015. According to Mr. Dumas, this represents an annual turnover of more than $60 million for Regulus. SNPE is also investigating new chemical molecules for advanced propellants. One of the most promising is a polyazido-glycidyl known as 9 PAG. An energetic binder is used instead of conventional polybutadiene to achieve better performance in terms of specific impulse. PAG will enable the development of nonpolluting propellants (without ammonium perchlorate) for booster applications. ARIANESPACE MARKETS LAUNCHERS WORLDWIDE Arianespace is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 1990. The company was founded in March 1980 by 36 leading European manufacturers in the aerospace and electronics sectors together with 13 major European banks and CNES. It was the first private company set up to fund, manufacture, market, and launch large commercial rockets. In 1982, a fully owned subsidiary, Arianespace Inc., was established in Washington, D.C. to deal with American customers. Arianespace has captured more than half of the world market for commercial launches. In addition to nine initial contracts signed by ESA, Arianespace has logged 83 launch contracts with nearly 30 customers worldwide. Six American companies -- GE, GTE, Spacenet, Alpha-Lyracon, Hughes Communications, GE Astro Space Division, and the Satellite Transponder Leasing Company -- as well as two international organizations -- Intelsat and Inmarsat -- have entrusted their precious communications satellites to the European rocket. Global sales over the past decade exceed $4.7 billion for the 83 satellites booked by Arianespace, of which 54 have been launched. With the signing of nine new contracts since the beginning of the year, the company now has orders for 38 satellite launches, representing $2.8 billion in sales. Last year, the company's total sales were $640 million. This success is due in part to the pragmatic approach taken by Ariane's promoters, who decided in the early 1970s that the best rocket for commercial operations would be one of conventional design, optimized not to achieve the highest expected performance but rather the lowest possible cost. The Ariane 1 made its maiden flight in 1979. Since then, Arianespace has successfully flown improved versions including the new Ariane 4, which will be the company's workhorse for the remainder of the decade. The most powerful of the series, Ariane 4 enables single or dual launches of payloads totaling up to 4.4 tons in geostationary transfer orbit. Among the 36 Ariane rockets flown during the past decade are eight Ariane 4s. The eighth one failed during the last Ariane launch in February (flight V36). Tighter quality controls have been introduced at industrial levels to prevent the recurrence of such a problem. Launches will resume in late July or August, according to Frederic d'Allest, Arianespace chairman. To make up for the lost time, nine flights instead of seven or eight are planned for coming years. Last year, Arianespace awarded contracts to European industry to produce 50 Ariane 4s -- the largest single order for commercial rockets ever issued. While fulfilling this order, the European space industry will also be preparing the follow-on rocket, Ariane 5. First flights of the more powerful rocket are planned for 1995 and it should be operational for commercial satellite launches the following year. Weighing 740 tons at lift-off, Ariane 5 will have a payload-carrying 10 capacity of 5.9 or 6.8 tons for dual or single launches in geostationary transfer orbit and a maximum of 23 tons in low-Earth orbit when launching the Hermes spaceplane. Arianespace will commercially operate Ariane 5 and is also a candidate to operate Hermes following its test flights in automatic and manned modes, scheduled for 1998-99. CLS ARGOS OFFERS LOW-COST DATA COLLECTION SYSTEM CLS Argos markets a simple, low-cost data collection system consisting of specialized electronic packages developed by French industry which are installed on board NOAA weather satellites in polar orbit. The system can locate transmitting beacons on the ground or at sea with an accuracy of 300 m. Throughout its orbital track, the satellite automatically receives the platforms in its field of visibility, collects the data, and sends it back to a CLS data processing facility in Toulouse, Melbourne, or Washington, D.C. A fourth processing center will soon be opened in Tokyo. CLS headquarters in Toulouse is linked by computer lines to the overseas centers and to its two subsidiaries in the United States: Service Argos Inc., which operates the system for North American users, and North American CLS, which develops value-added products to complement the service. More than 3000 Argos platforms are now in service worldwide. Initially, the system was dedicated to environmental survey applications, but has recently been extended to the field of environmental protection. As part of a U.S. initiative to control fishing campaigns in the Pacific, Argos has been selected to equip more than 700 fishing boats from Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. "The most important use of the Argos system is to protect ocean resources," said Michel Taillade, president of CLS Argos. Earlier this year, CLS Argos signed an agreement with Eumetsat, the European weather satellite organization, to provide a data collection service on Meteosat spacecraft. This service, dedicated to environmental applications, will begin in October. Next year, CLS will provide the same service using the GOES series of geostationary weather satellites operated by NOAA. CLS Argos also operates the control center receiving radar-altimetry data from Doris, the French orbitography satellite system, which was introduced on the SPOT 2 satellite launched earlier this year. "We foresee continued growth in CLS activities at least five more years," said Michel Cazenave, CLS Argos chairman. The company achieved a turnover of $10.5 million last year and is expected to reach $12 million in 1990. Areas of potential growth include oceanography, meteorology, hydrology, and wild animal tracking. Last year the system was used to track albatross. The birds were equipped with tiny transmitters and released. The satellite tracking revealed that albatross can fly for amazingly long stretches approaching 16,000 km. SPOT IMAGE: COMMERCIALIZING REMOTE SENSING DATA SPOT Image sells remote sensing data collected by the SPOT family of observation satellites. Two SPOT satellites are now in orbit, working in parallel to obtain visible and near-infrared images of the Earth. Each spacecraft is equipped with two CCD cameras to capture multispectral and panchromatic pictures at resolutions of 20 and 10 meters. These high-resolution digital images are easily processed and 11 enhanced. The SPOT 1 satellite, launched in February 1986 with an expected three year lifetime, has lasted over four years. This fall, it will be replaced by the SPOT 2 satellite launched by Ariane in January. The second craft is a carbon copy of the first, as is the next satellite, SPOT 3, which should be ready for launch in 1992. SPOT 4, an improved version with a four-year design life and an additional midinfrared band, is in the early stages of development. It will replace SPOT 3 when that satellite can no longer function. "We'll be able to provide an uninterrupted flow of data into the next century," said Gerard Brachet, chairman of SPOT Image. Last year, SPOT Image achieved sales of $23 million and should reach $26 million in 1990. Twenty percent of its market is in the United States, where it has established a fully owned subsidiary called SICorp. According to Brachet, the company's U.S. sales are expected to increase by 25 percent in 1990. One reason is the $4.7 million contract the Department of Defense recently awarded to SICorp for the delivery of several thousand SPOT scenes, mostly 10 m raw data, by late 1991. The data will be processed by the Defense Mapping Agency and used in preparing the flight missions of USAF Tactical Air Command pilots. Thirty percent of SICorp's customers are government agencies and the other 70 percent private users and state organizations such as the Florida Department of Planning and the Oregon Department of Water Resources. SPOT data is used in such diverse areas as mapping, petroleum, and mineral exploration, crop analysis, hydrology, and hazardous waste monitoring. SICorp recently introduced a product called Quadmap. It is a "spatiocarte," a map developed from satellite data at the scale of 1/24,000 degrees which is compatible with maps provided by the USGS. SICorp has already received an order for several hundred Quadmaps from the U.S. National Forest Service. The company's next product will be a "1AP" film for analog data processing machines used by photogrammetry services to exploit stereo images from SPOT. It also plans to introduce a set of spatiocartes at scales of 1/50,000 degrees. With these enhanced products, SPOT Image hopes to lure customers from the aerial photography market. "Our major competitor is not Landsat but aerial photography," Brachet said. NOVESPACE, A TEAM OF SKILLED CONSULTANTS Novespace is the first private company created to put space technology to profitable use in other economic sectors, and to promote the use of space microgravity by industry. Established four years ago under the impetus of CNES and eight banks, Novespace is directed by Jean-Pierre Fouquet, who previously worked in this line with Aerospatiale, after spending time as scientific attache for space affairs at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. Novespace has assembled a team of highly skilled consultants that can solve problems as diverse as finding French partners for interested foreign firms (and vice versa), conducting feasibility or market studies in high-tech fields, or performing product opportunity analyses for microgravity research. This multifaceted approach has proven highly 12 attractive to clients in Europe and Japan. The company publishes a magazine called "Mutations" that presents innovative technologies available for transfer. It is distributed free of charge to 20,000 readers, including 15,000 in France and 5000 in the rest of Europe, the United States, and Japan. Novespace acts as an intermediary, bringing together technology developers and potential users and following through on the transfer as they evolve toward their final legal, financial, and technical status. In the microgravity arena, Novespace is again taking a multifaceted approach, ranging from promotion and consulting to actual system operation. To make non-aerospace companies aware of the benefits of experiments conducted in weightlessness, Novespace publishes a bimonthly newsletter in French, "Mutations Microgravite," which reports on worldwide activities in this field. Since raising awareness is only the first step, Novespace also proposes case studies and various experimental opportunities, encompassing drop towers, experiments on board the space shuttle and Mir space station, and parabolic flights. Novespace was named exclusive commercial operator for parabolic flights on a Caravelle aircraft converted by CNES for low-G experimentation. This facility has been used by French, German, and Japanese clients for more than a year. FRENCH BOOST TO FAIRCHILD SPACE Fairchild Space is the well known manufacturer of Explorer satellites and multi-mission modular spacecraft for NASA. One of its top achievements is the Topex oceanography satellite, which will be the first NASA satellite launched by an Ariane rocket. Fairchild also develops deployable masts, louvers, and other electromechanical components for satellites. The company is highly skilled in electronics. It has, for example, developed a solid-sate mass memory called N-chip which is based on three-dimensional VLSI. This "technological jewel" could replace magnetic tape recorders on satellites within two to three years, according to Mr. Goumy. Fairchild recently was awarded two classified contracts from the Department of Defense and has been selected along with another American firm for definition studies of the new scientific satellite Gravity Probe B. Fairchild is also competing for the Orbital Solar Lab and looking for a role in the space station Freedom program. The company is proud to have been chosen for the on-orbit servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope. Fairchild first demonstrated its capability for repair-in-space when it provided the tools and techniques for repairing the Solar Max satellite. To maintain the Space Telescope over its 15-year life-time, Fairchild has developed over 100 different tools and devices, including a battery-powered screw. "Fairchild's new goals are to participate in the follow-on Landsat project and in the next generation of weather satellites. Tiros and 13 DMSP, as well as the Mission To Planet Earth Program," Goumy said. Matra's input will be crucial to Fairchild's participation in the Earth survey program. The French company has extensive experience in developing platforms, sensors, and complete systems for Earth observation satellites. It is now constructing a large polar platform called SPOT Mk2 for ESA's Columbus program. Equivalent to the U.S. platform being developed for the EOS program, Matra's platform should be suited for Mission To Planet Earth applications. "The production of small satellites for civil and military applications is another area where Fairchild could benefit from Matra's know-how," said Goumy. Such spacecraft, weighing only a few hundred kilograms, could be used for scientific experiments, environmental surveys, pollution monitoring, communications links, and a variety of other applications. MMS and Fairchild Space plan to submit a proposal for a worldwide mobile communications system based on a constellation of 24 small satellites in low-Earth orbit. The project will compete with similar ventures such as Orbcomm and Starnet. SOTEREM: PIONEERING THE MICROGRAVITY BUSINESS Soterem is a good example of a successful small enterprise in aerospace. The company was started 15 years ago with only ten people and $20,000 capital. Last year, it achieved sales of $6.5 million with a staff of 56. The company serves as a design, engineering, and manufacturing subcontractor in the automotive, nuclear, and space industries. In addition to space kits, it has developed such innovative products as a programmable electronic gearbox used to synchronize electronic motors, a 2D-vision recognition system, and a water-jet cutting machine that works at high pressures to cut composite sheets for printed circuit boards. Space activities account for 40 percent of Soterem's business. The company produces satellite integration dollies, solar panel deployment mechanisms, specialized battery chargers, and ground support equipment for French satellites. It also manufactures pedestal structures and servo-positioning mechanisms for ground tracking antennas. Moreover, Soterem has extensive experience in developing sample cartridges and space furnaces for materials processing in zero gravity. Its major achievements in this area include: o CPF (Crystal Pulling Furnace), a three-zone furnace designed to achieve pulling speeds of 10^4 to 10^3 cm/sec, up to 1200 degrees C with a thermal gradient of 30 degrees C/cm. CNES will use the furnace to investigate thermo-solutal convection under microgravity conditions. o AGHF (Advanced Gradient Heating Facility), a Bridgman-type furnace for directional solidification of metals and semiconductors in weightlessness. The AGHF works at temperatures up to 1400 degrees C with a thermal gradient of more than 140 degrees C/cm. o MZF (Multi-Zone Furnace), used for vapor-phase crystal growth experiments. The facility has three independent isothermal zones heated by sodium fluid circulating in pencil-like heat pipes. Four MZFs will be installed in the MFA (Multi-Furnace Assembly) of Eureca, the European Retrievable Carrier slated for launch aboard the space shuttle in 1991. 14 o Mephisto, a sophisticated facility for studying materials solidification in zero gravity. It can achieve a high thermal gradient up to 500 degrees C/cm and solidification rates from 5.10^-2 to 5.10^-5 cm/sec. Soterem built the mechanical and thermal elements of the furnace, designed by CNES and CEA (the French Atomic Energy Agency) as part of a cooperative program with NASA. Mephisto is planned for six flights on the space shuttle with the IML 2. In 1988, Soterem was selected to develop the Large Primate Facility designed to accommodate two Rhesus monkeys for up to 18 days in space. The facility is to be delivered within two years to fly on the shuttle as part of the CNES-NASA cooperative venture. The contracts for the primate facility and Mephisto are the largest Soterem has received to date. Each is worth more than $1.7 million. "We now expect to address larger contracts and find other customers abroad," said John Williams, Soterem's project manager for space activities. Target areas include Asia, the Soviet Union, and the United States. 15