Friday 15 | Saturday 16 | Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23

 Saturday June 23 – Public Day Report
       
25% of Snecma to Go Public
French Prime Lionel Jospin announces that about 25% of Snecma‘s capital will be sold on the public stock exchange before year end for an estimated €1.5 billion. The French government has apparently gave up plans to link Snecma’s partial privatization to any merger agreement with another European motorist such as Italy’s FiatAvio. Snecma si currently 97.3% state-owned.

 Friday June 22 – Trade Day Report
       
Arianespace Announces Record-Breaking Backlog
Arianespace has added two more launch contracts to its backlog for two undisclosed satellites with a customer requiring confidentiality. These last launch commitments bring to eight the number of launch contracts announced by Arianespace during the show. The total value of the deal nears €600 million. The backlog now stands at 54 payloads (45 satellites and 9 ATVs) and is worth some €4.9 billion.
Alcatel/Astrium Cooperation on Large Satellite Buses
Alcatel Space and its European rival Astrium have asked the European Space Agency for the launch of a new program to foster the development of a new large bus for future high-power, high-capacity satellites. This €500-million initiative, dubbed @sat/Alphasat, would allow the two prime contractors to design satellites of 5.5 to 7.5 or even 9.5 tons at launch, with an onboard power between 18 and 25 kW, possibly extended to 40 kW, and the capacity to incorporate 120 to 250 transponders. The new bus could fly on a demonstrator satellite in 2006 and be available commercially as soon as 2004.


Herschel

 Alcatel Signs Largest ESA Science Contract Ever
Alcatel Space has signed the largest contract ever awarded by the European Space Agency for a science program. The €369 million contract covers the development, manufacturing and test of the Herschel Space Observatory (former FIRST) and the Planck Surveyor (former Cobras/Samba) spacecraft. The two observatories will be launched atop an Ariane 5ESV vehicle in 2007 and be deployed at the L2 stability point of the Sun-Earth system.


Planck


 Thursday June 21 – Trade Day Report
       
Vega Undergoes PDR
ELV, the joint-venture of FiatAvio and ASI, the Italian Space Agency, have turned all the technical specifications for the Vega small satellite launcher to the European Space Agency for its preliminary design review on June 17. The review is expected to be completed in late July in order to allow the award of contracts for the actual development phase before the end of the year. Vega’s maiden flight is tentatively set for 2005 from Kourou, French Guiana. Options for the new launcher’s ground segment are discussed by ESA, CNES and Arianespace. Vega will be developed for ESA by ELV and operated by Arianespace.


Vega’s 2nd stage Zefiro Z23 motor on display.

Arianespace to Launch France’s New Milcomsat
Alcatel Space has signed a launch contract with Arianespace for the launch of the Syracuse 3A military communication satellite. The 3,700-kg spacecraft, based on Alcatel’s Spacebus 3100 bus, will be lofted by an Ariane 5 vehicle during the last quarter of 2003.
CNES Proposes its ANGEL Plan to ESA
CNES, the French space agency, has submitted a new proposal, dubbed Advanced New Generation European Launcher (ANGEL) to the European Space Agency, for the inception of a program to foster the necessary technologies for the development of a future, reusable launcher in Europe. If approved by the ministerial council in November, ANGEL could be implemented in two phases. The €220-million first phase would be dedicated to technology maturation with the launch of two Pre-X vehicles to test autonomous flight and landing as well as hypersonic reentry through 2004. The €700-million second phase would include test flights of X-vehicles for technology demonstrations in order to allow a decision on the development of an operational reusable or semi-reusable launch system by mid-2009. France would contribute for at least 50% of the funding. If the program cannot be Europeanized, CNES considers the option of running a reduced version of the effort, at a national level, with an initial €100-million budget. The ANGEL study was conducted from January to June 2001 by CNES, Onera, EADS Launch Vehicles, Snecma Moteurs, Dassault Aviation and Astrium, with a contribution from Germany’s DLR.

 Wednesday June 20 – Trade Day Report
       
Melco Commits to Delta 4 Launch
As part of a wide industrial pact also covering space communications and navigation and air traffic management, Mitsubishi Electric Co. has selected Boeing as its preferred non-Japanese launch provider. A contract is under final negotiations for one Delta 4 launch with options for up to five more between 2002 and 2007.
Alcatel Selects Snecma’s Plasma Thrusters
Alcatel Space has signed a long-term agreement with Snecma Moteurs which has been selected to provide PPS-1350 stationary plasma thrusters for Alcatel’s new Spacebus 4100 large bus for telecommunication satellites. This thruster will be flight tested by CNES on its Stentor experimental satellite due for launch in December. The PPS-1350 is an improved version of OKB Fakel’s SPT-100 stationary plasma thruster which has been flown on numerous Russian platforms since the 70s.
Rokot Targets GTO
GKNPTs Khrunichev is developing a new version of the Breeze manueverable upper stage, dubbed Breeze KS, to conduct launches to geostationary transfer orbit from Plesetsk. With a dry mass 80-kg lighter than the current Breeze KM, the Breeze KS will be used to loft Khrunichev’s Yakht Dialog satellites. The spacecraft will then use an onboard xenon propulsion system to reach the geostationary orbit. Two Yakht Dialog satellites have been ordered by Intersputnik and will be launched in 2003 as Intersputnik M1 and M2. The launch themselves will be subcontracted to Eurockot.
Lockheed Martin to Support Japan’s J-2
Lockheed Martin Astronautics plans to take a share in Japan’s Galaxy Express, the new company incorporated by Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Industries to market the J-2 launcher. Lockheed Martin will provide an Atlas tankage for the vehicle’s NK-33 powered first stage.

IHI showcased J-2
(click for larger picture)
Upper stage close-up

 Russia Ready to Invest to Launch Soyuz from Kourou
Russia is ready to participate in the investments to enable Soyuz launches from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, according to vice prime minister Ilia Klebanov. Russia’s objective is to break even for the US$250-million investment in only two years.


Soyuz/ST and Metop

 Tuesday June 19 – Trade Day Report
       
Arianespace to Launch Rosetta Probe
The European Space Agency has signed a contract with Arianespace for the launch of its Rosetta probe to the asteroids Otawara and Siwa and the comet P/Wirtanen. The probe, built by Astrium, will fly in January 2003 atop an Ariane 5ESV with a restartable EPS/V upper stage. The 3,000-kg probe will fly by Earth and Mars in 2005, asteroid Otawara in 2006, Earth again in 2007 and Siwa in 2008 prior to its rendezvous with comet P/Wirtanen in 2011 for a 2-year observation mission.

Inmarsat Taps Atlas and Ariane to Launch Inmarsat 4
Inmarsat has selected International Launch Services and Arianespace to launch its next generation of satellites, the 6-ton Inmarsat 4s. The two rival launch providers will be awarded a firm contract for one launch with options for more. The contract with ILS has already been approved by Inmarsat’s board and is under final negotiation. The contract with Arianespace will be reviewed by the board by late June and will be signed shortly after. Three Inmarsat 4 satellites have been ordered in 2000 from Astrium. The first two are due for launch in the 3rd quarter of 2003 and in early 2004. The third one will be a ground spare. The ILS contract will cover a dedicated launch on an Atlas 5 while Arianespace’s one will be for a dual launch atop an Ariane 5ECA. Since none of these vehicles has flown yet, the contracts will be subject to revision if preset development deadlines are not met. According to Inmarsat unsuccessful bids were submitted by Sea Launch, for a dedicated Zenit 3SL flight, and Boeing, for a dual launch on a Delta 4H.
Astrium Teams with Rosaviakosmos on IRDT
Astrium and Rosaviakosmos have signed a MoU regarding the development of new applications for NPO Lavochkin‘s Inflatable Reentry & Descent Technology (IRDT). A joint-venture could be incorporated later. IRDT, which was demonstrated in February 2000 on the maiden flight of Soyuz-Fregat, could be used for low-cost return of payloads from the International Space Station, on planetary missions or for the recovery of upper stages. The agreement gives exclusive rights to Astrium on IRDT development and marketing. Two IRDT test flights are due on Volna or Shtil submarine-launched vehicles in July (recovery of the Cosmos solar sail demonstrator) and in September.

Astrium Proposes European Missile Defense
Astrium has dusted off its studies for a European ballistic missile defense system. According to the company’s chairman & CEO, Armand Carlier, Astrium has the capability to develop a system of early warning satellites based on its Eurostar 3000 bus and incorporating infrared sensors before 2010 while its parent company EADS has the technical know-how to prepare the development of interceptor missiles for a theater missile defense system. Astrium has proposed to France’s Délégation Générale pour l’Armement to develop two demonstration microsatellites in geostationary transfer orbit.
     

 Monday June 18 – Trade Day Report
 
Boeing Finds Customer for First Delta 4
Boeing Expendable Launch Systems announces that it has signed in June with a customer for the maiden flight of its new Delta 4 vehicle. The identity of the customer and its payload should be unveiled before August. The mission, witha Delta 4M+ (4,2) vehicle (4-m fairing and two GEM-60 strap-on boosters), is scheduled on April 30, 2002. The first flight model of the RS-68 engine will be delivered in July while the engine qualification should be completed in August with 19,000 sec. of cumulated burn time (14,000 sec. already logged). The first Common Booster Core stage will arrive in Cape Canaveral on August 21. The SLC-7 launch complex will be ready for launch in October. Boeing claims to have signed more than 50 launch contracts on Delta 4 (including 21 Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle launches for the U.S. Department of Defense) but declines to provide any details, citing confidentiality requirements by its customers.		 Delta 4H Launch Opportunity
Boeing has been allowed to sell the room under the fairing of its first Delta 4H vehicle to a commercial customer. The U.S. Air Force has agreed to pay US$141 million for this demo flight now due during the fourth quarter of 2002.
Sea Launch Signed for Two Additional Launches
Sea Launch says that it has signed two more contracts, in March and June, for a single contractor requiring confidentiality. Sea Launch backlogs thus stands now at 16 firm launch commitments. The Boeing-led launch venture is also negotiating with a would-be customer for a launch in late 2001 and claims to be able to reach a launch rate of 7 flights per year in 2003. Next year it will also try to cvonduct two Zenit 3SL launches during a single trip to the Equator. Such an operation would require to transfer the integrated vehicle from the Assembly & Command Ship to the Launch Platform while at sea.
ILS Announces Two New Contracts
International Launch Services has announced two new launch contracts for its Atlas 5 vehicle. The customer is Lockheed Martin Commercial Space for operators who have required confidentiality. The launches are due in the 4th quarter of 2002 and the 3rd quarter of 2003. The two satellites are reportedly in the 3.5-ton class.
     

 Sunday June 17 – Public Day Report
 
France Aims at Mars
CNES, the French Space Agency, plans to invest €500 million into a Mars Sample Return Mission hardware demonstration fllight. In 2007, CNES would launch a Mars probe atop a dedicated Ariane 5ECB vehicle to release a cluster of Netlander surface stations, demonstrate aerocapture around Mars and test rendezvous with sample capsules. On its own, NASA will launch a precision lander on the surface. A NASA/CNES MoU on this Mars 2007 mission is expecetd in late 2001. The actual sample return mission could be conducted in 2011.
Arianespace Adds Three to Backlog
Arianespace was awarded three launch contracts by PanAmSat Corp. to loft three 1,700-kg communication satellites ordered earlier to Orbital Sciences Corporation. Galaxy 12 will be launched in late 2002 on an Ariane 5 or an Ariane 4 while PAS Light 2 and 3 are scheduled to fly on Ariane 5 vehicles in the second half of 2003 and in 2004. With this latest order Arianespace has signed six launch contracts in 2001 and plans to announce a few more during the show. At the end of the week it should come close to its minimum objective of 12 launch contracts this year.

Arianespace’s static display includes a FiatAvio Zefiro Z23 motor (Vega’s second stage), Snecma’s HM-7B and Vulcain 1 cryogenic engines, a truncated solid booster nozzle from Europropulsion and half shell of a Contraves short payload fairing. Behind the Airbus A300-600ST Beluga super transporter are an Astrium storable propellant upper stage, the upper segment of a booster stage provided by FiatAvio and a payload adapter by EADS CASA Espacio.

 Saturday June 16 – Press Day Report
 

Baikal is a winged version of the Angara booster.

Baikal Steals the Show
As in 1999, Russia’s Khrunichev dominates the Paris Air Show entrance with a full scale model of its proposed Baikal reusable booster stage. The 27-m-long vehicle, powered by a single RD-191 engine, would also feature a jet engine for maneuvering during fly-back, fed with kersosene from the main propellent tank. Dry mass is 17.8 t and lift-off mass is 130.4 t. The Baikal could replace the expendable Angara booster stage on the Angara 1.2 launch vehicle. It could also replace Angara stages as strap-on boosters on heavier version.
Boeing Air Launch Study Proceeds
Boeing has invested US$3 million in 2001 to continue the study on its proposed Air Launch System. The 3-stage airborne launcher would be based on two Thiokol Castor 120 motors and a new Castor 95 as third stage. The carrier aircraft would be a current Boeing B-747 Shutlle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). The concept vehicle is currently undergoing wind tunnel testing. A full-scale development could later be decided to be ready to support U.S. Air Force‘s Space Maneuvering Vehicle (SMV) circa 2005.
Herakles Joint-Venture to be Formed by Year End
Snecma Moteurs expects to be able to incorporate its Herakles solid propulsion joint-venture with Groupe SNPE by late 2001. The two groups initially expected to be able to make the announcement during the show but their talks were hampered by difficulties during the evaluation of the assets to be merged.
FiatAvio Contracts Volvo Aero for Turbines
Volvo Aero was awarded a contract by FiatAvio to manufacture liquid oxygen turbines for turbopumps due to power the 4 Vulcain 1 and 19 Vulcain 2 engines on Ariane 5G and Ariane 5E launchers. Deliveries will begin in 2001 and last through 2003.

Ukraine’s Yuzhnoye displays its
launchers: Zenit 3SL, Zenit 2,
Tsyklon 4 and Dnepr 1.
Goodrich to Build New Wheels for Shuttle
Goodrich is developing new main wheels to replace the ones currently used on NASA‘s Space Shuttle Orbiters. The new wheels, to be available in early 2004, will allow to increase the landing speed by 10% and the allowable landing weight by 17%.

In Brief…
• Snecma‘s chairman & CEO, Jean-Claude Béchat, asks for a real business plan, taking into account real costs and real market prospects, before any decision is made regarding the building up of a Soyuz launch pad in Kourou.
• Arianespace‘s chairman & CEO, Jean-Marie Luton, announces that several launch contracts will be signed during the show.
• Armand Carlier and Jean-Claude Husson, respectively chairmen & CEO of Astrium and Alcatel Space, ask for the launch of a new technological effort on telecommunication satellites as European Space Agency‘s Artemis and France’s Stentor are nearing launch.


 Friday June 15 – Show Preview
       

The 44th Paris Air Show will open June  16 on the Le Bourget airport. As every other year, the world’s leading aerospace companies will meet and display their latest products.

This year, space transportation will be in the spotlights with Boeing and Lockheed Martin presenting their new Delta 4 and Atlas 5 vehicles less than one year before their maiden flights. Arianespace will be very active too with major elements of its Ariane 5 vehicle presented on the outdoor static display and several press meetings planned.

As usual, Russia and Ukraine will unveil their latest satellite and launch system projects. Khrunichev may steal the show with a full-scale test model of its Baikal vehicle, a winged, reusable version of the Angara core stage it presented in 1999, which was delivered by a gigantic Antonov 124 carrier aircraft.

Numerous contracts and announcements are expected. All along the week we will provide daily reports on the major news and events of the show, followed by an exhaustive round-up at the end of the week.

In 1999, the Angara 1.1
was displayed at the show entrance.
     

© Takyon International – 2001