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LAUNCHED APRIL1990

LAUNCHED OCTOBER 1990

LAUNCHED DECEMBER 1995

LAUNCHED OCTOBER 1997

LAUNCHED DECEMBER 1999

RE-LAUNCHED MID-2000

LAUNCHED OCTOBER 2002

LAUNCHED JUNE 2003

LAUNCHED SEPTEMBER 2003

TC-1 LAUNCHED DECEMBER. 2003TC-2 LAUNCHED JULY 2004

LAUNCHED MARCH 2004

LAUNCHED NOVEMBER 2005

LAUNCH MAY 2008

LAUNCH 4TH QUARTER 2009

LAUNCH END-2011

LAUNCH JUNE 2013

LAUNCH AUGUST 2013

M5 LAUNCHED 1991, M6 1993, M7 1997

LAUNCHED APRIL 1995

LAUNCHED MARCH 2002

MSG-3 LAUNCH 2011, MSG-4 LAUNCH 2013

METOP-A LAUNCH OCTOBER 2006,METOP-B 2010, METOP-C 2015

LAUNCH FAILURE OCTOBER 2005CRYOSAT-2 LAUNCH MARCH 2009

GIOVE-A LAUNCHED DEC. 2005GIOVE-B LAUNCH 2007, IOV END-2008

LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 2007

LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 2007

LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 2008

LAUNCH 2010

LAUNCH END-2012

LAUNCHED JULY 2001

LAUNCH 2009

OPERATIONS START 2006

LAUNCH JUNE 2010

LAUNCHED OCTOBER 2001

LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 2007

LAUNCHED FEBRUARY 2005

LAUNCH OCTOBER 2007

FIRST LAUNCH JUNE-JULY 2007

LAUNCHES AUGUST 2007 & JANUARY 2010CUPOLA WITH NODE-3

LAUNCH NOT BEFORE END-2009

EUTEF/SOLAR WITH COLUMBUS

BIO, FSL, EPM with COLUMBUS

OPERATIONAL

AR5-ECA QUALIF. LAUNCHED FEBRUARY 2005

FIRST LAUNCH DECEMBER 2007

READY FOR LAUNCH MAY 2009

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND COMMENTS

SPACE TELESCOPE

ULYSSES

SOHO

HUYGENS

XMM-NEWTON

CLUSTER

INTEGRAL

MARS EXPRESS

SMART-1

DOUBLE STAR

ROSETTA

VENUS EXPRESS

HERSCHEL/PLANCK

LISA PATHFINDER

GAIA

JWST

BEPICOLOMBO

METEOSAT-5/6/7

ERS-2

ENVISAT

MSG

METOP

CRYOSAT

GOCE

SMOS

ADM-AEOLUS

SWARM

EARTHCARE

ARTEMIS

ALPHABUS

GNSS-1/EGNOS

SMALL GEO SAT.

GALILEOSAT

PROBA-1

PROBA-2

SLOSHSAT

COLUMBUS

ATV

NODE-2 & -3 & CUPOLA

ERA

ISS SUPPORT & UTIL.

EMIR/ELIPS

MFC

ASTRONAUT FLT.

ARIANE-5 DEVELOP.

ARIANE-5 PLUS

VEGA

SOYUZ AT CSG

LAUNCH MID-2013

AURORA CORE

EXOMARS

PROJECT

SC

IEN

TIF

IC

PR

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RA

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RT

H O

BS

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VAT

ION

PR

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CO

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MATROSHKAFOTON-MI PCDF TEXUS-44/45

MARES

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MSG-1 MSG-2

MELFI 1 MELFI 2

GIOVE-A GIOVE-B

EDR/EUTEF/SOLAR

MAXUS-6EMCS/PEMS

FOTON-M2

EML-1 FOTON-M3

TEXUS-42

MSL

MASER-10

DEFINITION PHASE

OPERATIONS

MAIN DEVELOPMENT PHASE

ADDITIONAL LIFE POSSIBLELAUNCH/READY FOR LAUNCH

STORAGE

MASER-11MAXUS-7/TEXUS-43

Programmes

in ProgressStatus end-September 2006

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LAUNCHED APRIL1990

LAUNCHED OCTOBER 1990

LAUNCHED DECEMBER 1995

LAUNCHED OCTOBER 1997

LAUNCHED DECEMBER 1999

RE-LAUNCHED MID-2000

LAUNCHED OCTOBER 2002

LAUNCHED JUNE 2003

LAUNCHED SEPTEMBER 2003

TC-1 LAUNCHED DECEMBER. 2003TC-2 LAUNCHED JULY 2004

LAUNCHED MARCH 2004

LAUNCHED NOVEMBER 2005

LAUNCH MAY 2008

LAUNCH 4TH QUARTER 2009

LAUNCH END-2011

LAUNCH JUNE 2013

LAUNCH AUGUST 2013

M5 LAUNCHED 1991, M6 1993, M7 1997

LAUNCHED APRIL 1995

LAUNCHED MARCH 2002

MSG-3 LAUNCH 2011, MSG-4 LAUNCH 2013

METOP-A LAUNCH OCTOBER 2006,METOP-B 2010, METOP-C 2015

LAUNCH FAILURE OCTOBER 2005CRYOSAT-2 LAUNCH MARCH 2009

GIOVE-A LAUNCHED DEC. 2005GIOVE-B LAUNCH 2007, IOV END-2008

LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 2007

LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 2007

LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 2008

LAUNCH 2010

LAUNCH END-2012

LAUNCHED JULY 2001

LAUNCH 2009

OPERATIONS START 2006

LAUNCH JUNE 2010

LAUNCHED OCTOBER 2001

LAUNCH SEPTEMBER 2007

LAUNCHED FEBRUARY 2005

LAUNCH OCTOBER 2007

FIRST LAUNCH JUNE-JULY 2007

LAUNCHES AUGUST 2007 & JANUARY 2010CUPOLA WITH NODE-3

LAUNCH NOT BEFORE END-2009

EUTEF/SOLAR WITH COLUMBUS

BIO, FSL, EPM with COLUMBUS

OPERATIONAL

AR5-ECA QUALIF. LAUNCHED FEBRUARY 2005

FIRST LAUNCH DECEMBER 2007

READY FOR LAUNCH MAY 2009

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND J FMAM J J A SOND COMMENTS

SPACE TELESCOPE

ULYSSES

SOHO

HUYGENS

XMM-NEWTON

CLUSTER

INTEGRAL

MARS EXPRESS

SMART-1

DOUBLE STAR

ROSETTA

VENUS EXPRESS

HERSCHEL/PLANCK

LISA PATHFINDER

GAIA

JWST

BEPICOLOMBO

METEOSAT-5/6/7

ERS-2

ENVISAT

MSG

METOP

CRYOSAT

GOCE

SMOS

ADM-AEOLUS

SWARM

EARTHCARE

ARTEMIS

ALPHABUS

GNSS-1/EGNOS

SMALL GEO SAT.

GALILEOSAT

PROBA-1

PROBA-2

SLOSHSAT

COLUMBUS

ATV

NODE-2 & -3 & CUPOLA

ERA

ISS SUPPORT & UTIL.

EMIR/ELIPS

MFC

ASTRONAUT FLT.

ARIANE-5 DEVELOP.

ARIANE-5 PLUS

VEGA

SOYUZ AT CSG

LAUNCH MID-2013

AURORA CORE

EXOMARS

PROJECT

SC

IEN

TIF

IC

PR

OG

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BS

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VAT

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PR

OG

RA

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CH

NO

L.

PR

OG

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CO

MM

S./N

AV.

PR

OG

RA

MM

E

HU

MA

N S

PAC

EF

LIG

HT,

MIC

RO

GR

AV

ITY

& E

XP

LOR

ATIO

N P

RO

GR

AM

ME

LAU

NC

HE

R

PR

OG

.

APCF-6/BIOBOX-5/ARMS/BIOPACK/FAST-2/ERISTO

MATROSHKAFOTON-MI PCDF TEXUS-44/45

MARES

MSG

MSG-1 MSG-2

MELFI 1 MELFI 2

GIOVE-A GIOVE-B

EDR/EUTEF/SOLAR

MAXUS-6EMCS/PEMS

FOTON-M2

EML-1 FOTON-M3

TEXUS-42

MSL

MASER-10

DEFINITION PHASE

OPERATIONS

MAIN DEVELOPMENT PHASE

ADDITIONAL LIFE POSSIBLELAUNCH/READY FOR LAUNCH

STORAGE

MASER-11MAXUS-7/TEXUS-43

Programmes

in ProgressStatus end-September 2006

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HSTA team of US and European astronomersanalysing two of the deepest views of thecosmos made with the Hubble SpaceTelescope has uncovered a gold mine ofmore than 500 galaxies that existed less thana billion years after the Big Bang. Thissample is the most comprehensivecompilation of galaxies in the early Universe,researchers said. The discovery isscientifically invaluable for understanding theorigin of galaxies, considering that just adecade ago early galaxy formation waslargely uncharted territory. Astronomers thenhad not seen even one galaxy from when theUniverse was a billion years old, so finding500 in a Hubble survey is a significant leapforward for cosmologists.

UlyssesOn 6 October, Ulysses completed its 16thsuccessful year in orbit. The spacecraftcontinues its climb to high southern latitudeswith all subsystems and science instrumentsin good health. Science operations arecurrently being conducted according to arevised payload power-sharing plan. Largelyas a result of the gradually improvingthermal situation as Ulysses gets closer tothe Sun, several instruments not in the corepayload category have been able to acquiredata for short periods (typically a month).These include the gamma-ray burstexperiment and the solar wind electronsensor. Ground segment performance hasbeen excellent, leading to an overall datareturn for the period of 98.6%. By the middleof November, the spacecraft will havereached 70ºS solar latitude, marking the startof the third South Polar Pass.

One of the fathers of the Ulysses mission(and one of its longest-serving PrincipalInvestigators), Johannes Geiss, recentlycelebrated his 80th birthday. Geiss is aworld-leader in the measurement andinterpretation of the composition of matterthat reveals the history, present state andfuture of astronomical objects. A symposium

devoted to these topics was held inSeptember to honour him and celebrate hisbirthday. At that meeting, George Gloeckler,his Co-PI on the Ulysses Solar Wind IonComposition instrument (SWICS), noted thatJohannes Geiss was the first to measure thecomposition of the noble gases in the solarwind when, in the late 1960s, he flew hisbrilliant foil experiments on five Apollomissions to collect solar wind ions on theMoon. In recent years, Geiss, together withhis colleagues on the SWICS team, hasdetermined the isotopic and elementalcomposition of the solar wind under all solarwind conditions and at all helio-latitudes.

Geiss’ quest to measure and understand thecomposition of matter is not limited to thesolar wind, however. He has also played akey role in the in situ measurement ofmolecular ions in comets and theinterpretation of these data, and in the studyof the composition of plasmas in themagnetospheres of Earth and Jupiter. Onbehalf of the Ulysses team, we wishJohannes Geiss ‘many happy returns’ andmany more scientific discoveries.

ISOThe 5-year ISO Active Archive Phase is duefor completion in December 2006. This is thelast phase of ISO, aiming at ensuring the

best use of the legacy provided by the firsttrue infrared observatory in space, in closecollaboration with active National DataCentres. Major releases of the ISO DataArchive included:

– the introduction of products derived fromsystematic manual processing of data,including queryable catalogues and atlases(Highly Processed Data Products). ISO willhave about a third of its content populatedwith Highly Processed Data Products;

– the adoption of an innovative way todocument quality information for eachobservation;

– the characterisation by object type;– full integration into the Virtual Observatory.

ISO results continue to appear in the refereedliterature and are clearly used to prepareproposals with other astronomical facilities.The ISO Science Legacy book was published,reviewing the most significant results frompapers published until 2005. Over 1380refereed papers based on ISO data have beenpublished to date. Documentation about themission, its instruments and data productshas been published in the 5-volume ISOHandbook. This is accompanied by a legacyof around 200 documents organised in the

XMM-Newton full field (left) and Chandra close-up (right) images of the oldest recorded supernova, RCW 86. Both images show low-energy X-rays in red, medium energies in green and high energies in blue. (ESA/XMM-Newton; NASA/CXC; Univ. Utrecht, J. Vink)

under a different geometry may help toanswer this question.

The analysis and interpretation of Huygensdata continue. The excellent scientific returnof Huygens is well illustrated by the moviesrecently released by the DISR team (availableat http://saturn.esa.int ). These give a goodaccount of the work done so far by all theteams to understand and interpret theperformance of the probe during the descentand the returned science data. A recentdetailed interpretation of the Huygensobservations by Titan meteorologistssuggests that methane was drizzling downon the day of the Huygens landing.

XMM-NewtonXMM-Newton operations are continuingsmoothly, with the spacecraft, instrumentsand ground segment all performingnominally. The 6th Announcement ofObserving (AO-6) opportunity for

observations to be performed between May2007 and May 2008 has opened. XMM-Newton scientific results have been reportedin 1188 refereed papers, of which 181 arefrom 2006.

A preliminary version of the second XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue,2XMMp, has been released. The cataloguehas been constructed by the XMM-NewtonSurvey Science Centre (SSC) on behalf ofESA. It contains over 150 000 sourcedetections, making it the largest catalogue ofastronomical X-ray sources ever produced.The catalogue is derived from the availablepointed observations that XMM-Newton hasmade so far, and covers less than 1% of thesky.

XMM-Newton has found evidence linkingstellar remains to the oldest recordedsupernova. The combined image from theChandra and XMM-Newton X-rayobservatories of a supernova remnant calledRCW 86 shows the expanding ring of debristhat was created after a massive star in the

ISO Explanatory Library on the ISO web site.Support continued to be provided directly tousers in their exploitation of the ISO datathroughout the period.

SOHOSOHO-18 ‘Beyond the Spherical Sun: A NewEra in Helio- and Asteroseismology’ was heldjointly with the annual meeting of the GlobalOscillation Network Group (GONG)7–11 August at the University of Sheffield,UK. Nearly 130 participants discussed over150 papers, which will be published as ESASP-624. A French-Spanish team reported thedetection of g modes in the Sun using10 years of GOLF data. Their results alsosuggest a solar core rotating significantlyfaster than the rest of the radiative zone. Ifconfirmed, this could open a new era in thestudy of the dynamical properties of thecentral solar interior.

On 9 August a Polish amateur astronomerdiscovered the 1000th SOHO comet in theKreutz group of Sun-grazing comets. The1185th comet discovered in data fromSOHO’s LASCO and SWAN instruments intotal, the faint object is officially designatedC/2006 P7 (SOHO) by the Minor PlanetCentre of the IAU. Before the launch ofSOHO, only some 30 members of the Kreutzgroup were known. All 1000 Kreutz cometsare believed to be fragments of a singlecomet observed in about 371 BC by Aristotleand Ephorus, and the fragments themselvescontinue to fragment, making moreSun-grazing comets.

Cassini-HuygensThe Cassini Orbiter mission continuessmoothly. Regular observations arepublished on JPL’s web page(http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov). Each Titan flybybrings new surprises as the radar probesnew territory. Lakes have been spotted nearthe north pole but it is not yet knownwhether they are dry or filled with liquid.Upcoming observations of the same territory

This Hubble image shows 28 of the more than 500 younggalaxies uncovered in the analysis of two Hubble surveys. (NASA; ESA; R. Bouwens & G. Illingworth, University of California,Santa Cruz, USA)

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HSTA team of US and European astronomersanalysing two of the deepest views of thecosmos made with the Hubble SpaceTelescope has uncovered a gold mine ofmore than 500 galaxies that existed less thana billion years after the Big Bang. Thissample is the most comprehensivecompilation of galaxies in the early Universe,researchers said. The discovery isscientifically invaluable for understanding theorigin of galaxies, considering that just adecade ago early galaxy formation waslargely uncharted territory. Astronomers thenhad not seen even one galaxy from when theUniverse was a billion years old, so finding500 in a Hubble survey is a significant leapforward for cosmologists.

UlyssesOn 6 October, Ulysses completed its 16thsuccessful year in orbit. The spacecraftcontinues its climb to high southern latitudeswith all subsystems and science instrumentsin good health. Science operations arecurrently being conducted according to arevised payload power-sharing plan. Largelyas a result of the gradually improvingthermal situation as Ulysses gets closer tothe Sun, several instruments not in the corepayload category have been able to acquiredata for short periods (typically a month).These include the gamma-ray burstexperiment and the solar wind electronsensor. Ground segment performance hasbeen excellent, leading to an overall datareturn for the period of 98.6%. By the middleof November, the spacecraft will havereached 70ºS solar latitude, marking the startof the third South Polar Pass.

One of the fathers of the Ulysses mission(and one of its longest-serving PrincipalInvestigators), Johannes Geiss, recentlycelebrated his 80th birthday. Geiss is aworld-leader in the measurement andinterpretation of the composition of matterthat reveals the history, present state andfuture of astronomical objects. A symposium

devoted to these topics was held inSeptember to honour him and celebrate hisbirthday. At that meeting, George Gloeckler,his Co-PI on the Ulysses Solar Wind IonComposition instrument (SWICS), noted thatJohannes Geiss was the first to measure thecomposition of the noble gases in the solarwind when, in the late 1960s, he flew hisbrilliant foil experiments on five Apollomissions to collect solar wind ions on theMoon. In recent years, Geiss, together withhis colleagues on the SWICS team, hasdetermined the isotopic and elementalcomposition of the solar wind under all solarwind conditions and at all helio-latitudes.

Geiss’ quest to measure and understand thecomposition of matter is not limited to thesolar wind, however. He has also played akey role in the in situ measurement ofmolecular ions in comets and theinterpretation of these data, and in the studyof the composition of plasmas in themagnetospheres of Earth and Jupiter. Onbehalf of the Ulysses team, we wishJohannes Geiss ‘many happy returns’ andmany more scientific discoveries.

ISOThe 5-year ISO Active Archive Phase is duefor completion in December 2006. This is thelast phase of ISO, aiming at ensuring the

best use of the legacy provided by the firsttrue infrared observatory in space, in closecollaboration with active National DataCentres. Major releases of the ISO DataArchive included:

– the introduction of products derived fromsystematic manual processing of data,including queryable catalogues and atlases(Highly Processed Data Products). ISO willhave about a third of its content populatedwith Highly Processed Data Products;

– the adoption of an innovative way todocument quality information for eachobservation;

– the characterisation by object type;– full integration into the Virtual Observatory.

ISO results continue to appear in the refereedliterature and are clearly used to prepareproposals with other astronomical facilities.The ISO Science Legacy book was published,reviewing the most significant results frompapers published until 2005. Over 1380refereed papers based on ISO data have beenpublished to date. Documentation about themission, its instruments and data productshas been published in the 5-volume ISOHandbook. This is accompanied by a legacyof around 200 documents organised in the

XMM-Newton full field (left) and Chandra close-up (right) images of the oldest recorded supernova, RCW 86. Both images show low-energy X-rays in red, medium energies in green and high energies in blue. (ESA/XMM-Newton; NASA/CXC; Univ. Utrecht, J. Vink)

under a different geometry may help toanswer this question.

The analysis and interpretation of Huygensdata continue. The excellent scientific returnof Huygens is well illustrated by the moviesrecently released by the DISR team (availableat http://saturn.esa.int ). These give a goodaccount of the work done so far by all theteams to understand and interpret theperformance of the probe during the descentand the returned science data. A recentdetailed interpretation of the Huygensobservations by Titan meteorologistssuggests that methane was drizzling downon the day of the Huygens landing.

XMM-NewtonXMM-Newton operations are continuingsmoothly, with the spacecraft, instrumentsand ground segment all performingnominally. The 6th Announcement ofObserving (AO-6) opportunity for

observations to be performed between May2007 and May 2008 has opened. XMM-Newton scientific results have been reportedin 1188 refereed papers, of which 181 arefrom 2006.

A preliminary version of the second XMM-Newton serendipitous source catalogue,2XMMp, has been released. The cataloguehas been constructed by the XMM-NewtonSurvey Science Centre (SSC) on behalf ofESA. It contains over 150 000 sourcedetections, making it the largest catalogue ofastronomical X-ray sources ever produced.The catalogue is derived from the availablepointed observations that XMM-Newton hasmade so far, and covers less than 1% of thesky.

XMM-Newton has found evidence linkingstellar remains to the oldest recordedsupernova. The combined image from theChandra and XMM-Newton X-rayobservatories of a supernova remnant calledRCW 86 shows the expanding ring of debristhat was created after a massive star in the

ISO Explanatory Library on the ISO web site.Support continued to be provided directly tousers in their exploitation of the ISO datathroughout the period.

SOHOSOHO-18 ‘Beyond the Spherical Sun: A NewEra in Helio- and Asteroseismology’ was heldjointly with the annual meeting of the GlobalOscillation Network Group (GONG)7–11 August at the University of Sheffield,UK. Nearly 130 participants discussed over150 papers, which will be published as ESASP-624. A French-Spanish team reported thedetection of g modes in the Sun using10 years of GOLF data. Their results alsosuggest a solar core rotating significantlyfaster than the rest of the radiative zone. Ifconfirmed, this could open a new era in thestudy of the dynamical properties of thecentral solar interior.

On 9 August a Polish amateur astronomerdiscovered the 1000th SOHO comet in theKreutz group of Sun-grazing comets. The1185th comet discovered in data fromSOHO’s LASCO and SWAN instruments intotal, the faint object is officially designatedC/2006 P7 (SOHO) by the Minor PlanetCentre of the IAU. Before the launch ofSOHO, only some 30 members of the Kreutzgroup were known. All 1000 Kreutz cometsare believed to be fragments of a singlecomet observed in about 371 BC by Aristotleand Ephorus, and the fragments themselvescontinue to fragment, making moreSun-grazing comets.

Cassini-HuygensThe Cassini Orbiter mission continuessmoothly. Regular observations arepublished on JPL’s web page(http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov). Each Titan flybybrings new surprises as the radar probesnew territory. Lakes have been spotted nearthe north pole but it is not yet knownwhether they are dry or filled with liquid.Upcoming observations of the same territory

This Hubble image shows 28 of the more than 500 younggalaxies uncovered in the analysis of two Hubble surveys. (NASA; ESA; R. Bouwens & G. Illingworth, University of California,Santa Cruz, USA)

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Milky Way collapsed and exploded. The newobservations reveal that RCW 86 was createdby a star that exploded about 2000 yearsago. This age matches observations of a newbright star by Chinese (and possibly Roman)astronomers in 185 AD and may be theoldest known recording of a supernova.

ClusterThe four spacecraft and instruments areoperating nominally and have successfullycome through the long eclipse season,including spacecraft-1, which now has veryweak batteries. To counteract this, ESOCdefined a new mode of operation called‘decoder only’, where the computer and allother subsystems are switched off. To warmup spacecraft-1 and recharge the batteries,the instruments were switched off for all theeclipses (15–23 September). The other threesatellites recorded data as usual betweeneclipses.

JSOC and ESOC operations continuenominally. The data return from June 2006 tothe end of August 2006 was on average99.8%. The Cluster Active Archive is alsooperating nominally. User access is growingevery month and a total of 256 users wereregistered at the end of August (more than80% increase over the last quarter).

An article on magnetic reconnection in thetail, where Cluster could detect a magneticnull for the first time, was accepted by a newjournal: Nature Physics. The article waswritten by a team of Chinese scientists fromPeking University together with Europeanscientists. Magnetic nulls are expected in thecentre of the reconnection when the twoopposite fields cancel each other beforereconnecting.

IntegralIntegral operations continue smoothly, withthe spacecraft, instruments and groundsegment all performing nominally. Targetsselected in response to the 4th

Announcement for Observing proposals(AO-4) are being observed. AO-4 includes apilot key programme observation of thegalactic bulge region, which attracted a greatdeal of interest. The scientific community willbe invited to propose specific keyprogrammes in AO-5.

Integral scientific results have been reportedin 203 refereed (of which 62 are from 2006)and 355 non-refereed publications. The 6thIntegral workshop was held at the SpaceResearch Institute (IKI) in Moscow with thetheme ‘The Obscured Universe’. Theworkshop was attended by about 180scientists from around the world. The topicsdiscussed covered nearly all the majorscientific areas being investigated usingIntegral, including the nature of the high-energy cosmic background, massive blackholes, and nucleosynthesis and X-raybinaries in our own Galaxy.

Mars ExpressIn early June, Mars Express celebrated3 years in space. Most of the summer wasspent preparing for, and entering, the power-challenging eclipse/aphelion season. Thespecial Survival Mode was tested andsuccessfully used to sail safely through the

longest eclipses. With the craft beingconfigured for the low-power/aphelionseason, payload operations are suspended(except for radio science during solarconjunction) for some 10 weeks. However,thanks to excellent support from the fullground segment, it proved possible to maketwo sets of coordinated Mars Express-NASARover/CRISM spectrometer observationsbetween the low-power/aphelion and thesolar conjunction windows. Insufficientdownlink capacity was available at the time,and the data will be downlinked after the endof the solar conjunction on 5 November.

The latest major Mars Express discovery wasmade by the SPICAM team when they foundthe highest clouds above any planetarysurface. The results are a new piece in thepuzzle of how the Martian atmosphere works.Until now, scientists had been aware only ofthe clouds that hug the Martian surface andlower reaches of the atmosphere. Thanks toSPICAM, a fleeting layer of clouds wasdiscovered at an altitude of 80–100 km, mostlikely composed of carbon dioxide.

A spectacular set of images covering theCydonia region, and including the famous‘Face on Mars’ and its appearance followingyears of geological processing, werereleased, and can be found onhttp://www.esa.int/marsexpress

Double StarThe two spacecraft and their instruments areoperating nominally. TC-2 has started theeclipse season and TC-1 follows in November.

The European Payload Operation System,which coordinates the operations for theseven European instruments, is runningsmoothly. Data are acquired using theVILSPA 2 ground station for 3.8 h/day over anaverage of two passes per day. The availabilityof the ground station between January andJuly 2006 was above 99%.

A study on pulsed magnetic reconnection waspublished in Annales Geophysicae usingDouble Star and Cluster data. It was shownthat newly reconnected flux tubes (‘fluxtransfer events’) are observed in theequatorial plane by Double Star and at higherlatitude by Cluster. This showed that thereconnection site was at least extended over2 h in local time. Furthermore, Double Starcould detect these events during one of itslongest observations (about 8 h).

RosettaAt the end of its first period of solarconjunction, lasting March–May 2006,Rosetta was configured in Passive CruiseMode during June and July. In this mode, thecraft’s activity level is reduced and groundcontact is limited to once per week.Nevertheless, at the beginning of July it waspossible to perform, via time-taggedcommands autonomously executed onboard,measurements of the plasma environmentwith the RPC instruments while Rosetta wascrossing the tail of Comet Honda. In August,preparation for the Mars swingby of25 February 2007 began, with more frequenttracking from ESA’s New Norcia and NASA’sDeep Space Network ground stations. Thefourth periodic payload checkout took place atthe end of August, when the scientificinstruments were activated in sequence andchecked out over a period of 5 days outside ofground contact, and the resultinghousekeeping and science telemetry data

downlinked to the ground station at the endof the test. Preliminary analysis indicates thatall instruments and the Philae lander are ingood health.

On 29 September the second large DeepSpace Manoeuvre was executed to target thetrajectory for the Mars swingby. Themanoeuvre was extremely accurate (0.1%)and placed Rosetta on its final coursetowards the Red Planet.

Intense analysis, testing and validationactivities are under way at the Control Centrein preparation of the next critical missionphases: Mars and Earth swingbys inFebruary and November 2007, respectively,and the first asteroid (Steins) flyby inSeptember 2008. The payload is usuallyinactive in this cruise period, with theexception of periodic test activities andoccasional scientific opportunities. However,payload operations are planned forDecember, when there will be many test andcalibration activities, including majoronboard software updates.

Venus ExpressAfter the successful insertion into Venusorbit on 11 April, the spacecraft and itssubsystems and the payload passed theirin-orbit commissioning with flying colours.The spacecraft is functioning well and allpayload elements, with the exception of thePlanetary Fourier Spectrometer, shownominal performance. During Venus OrbitInsertion, VIRTIS provided spectacular viewsof the south pole’s cloud structure. On4 June commissioning concluded and thenominal science mission started.Management of the mission was transferredfrom the Scientific Projects Department tothe Research and Scientific SupportDepartment.

During the initial science phase theinstruments already demonstrated that theobjectives of the mission can be fulfilled:preliminary temperature and compositionprofiles of the atmosphere were derived. Thefeasibility of bi-static radar observations was

A perspective view of the Cydonia region of Mars based on images from the High Resolution Stereo Camera aboard Mars Express.Resolution is 13.7 m/pixel; date 22 July 2006. See the ‘In Brief’ news section of this issue for further information.(ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, G. Neukum)

demonstrated and the VMC imaging systemprovided the first sequences of theobservations of the cloud movements in theatmosphere. Most spectacular so far havebeen the observations by VIRTIS at thedifferent wavelengths in the 1–5 µm range. Itclearly showed that we can penetrate todifferent levels deep in the atmosphere andeven can relate the observations to distinctsurface features.

Venus Express is operated from the VEXMission Operations team at ESOC with daily8 h tracking passes via ESA’s deep spaceantenna in Cerbreros (E). Payload operationsare coordinated by the VEX ScienceOperations Centre at ESTEC.

SMART-1 The operational mission ended on3 September, at 05:42:22 UT, when the NewNorcia ground station in Australia lost radiocontact with the spacecraft. SMART-1 endedits journey in the Lake of Excellence, at34.4ºS/46.2ºW. The ~2 km/s impact tookplace on the nearside of the Moon, in a darkarea just near the terminator at a grazingangle of 5–10º. The time and location wasplanned to favour observations of the eventfrom ground-based telescopes. This wasachieved by a series of orbit manoeuvresduring the summer, using ingeniouscombinations of wheel offloading andthruster firings to reach an optimum orbit.The last manoeuvre was performed on1 September. A final adjustment had to bemade as a reanalysis of available lunar dataperformed at the University of Nottingham(UK) suggested that, in the absence of anyfurther manoeuvres, impact would very likelyoccur one orbit earlier if SMART-1 clippedthe rim of Clausius crater.

The impact concluded a highly successfulmission that, in addition to testing innovativespace technology, conducted a thoroughscientific exploration of the Moon for about ayear and a half, gathering data on themorphology and mineralogical compositionof the surface in visible, IR and X-raywavelengths.

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Milky Way collapsed and exploded. The newobservations reveal that RCW 86 was createdby a star that exploded about 2000 yearsago. This age matches observations of a newbright star by Chinese (and possibly Roman)astronomers in 185 AD and may be theoldest known recording of a supernova.

ClusterThe four spacecraft and instruments areoperating nominally and have successfullycome through the long eclipse season,including spacecraft-1, which now has veryweak batteries. To counteract this, ESOCdefined a new mode of operation called‘decoder only’, where the computer and allother subsystems are switched off. To warmup spacecraft-1 and recharge the batteries,the instruments were switched off for all theeclipses (15–23 September). The other threesatellites recorded data as usual betweeneclipses.

JSOC and ESOC operations continuenominally. The data return from June 2006 tothe end of August 2006 was on average99.8%. The Cluster Active Archive is alsooperating nominally. User access is growingevery month and a total of 256 users wereregistered at the end of August (more than80% increase over the last quarter).

An article on magnetic reconnection in thetail, where Cluster could detect a magneticnull for the first time, was accepted by a newjournal: Nature Physics. The article waswritten by a team of Chinese scientists fromPeking University together with Europeanscientists. Magnetic nulls are expected in thecentre of the reconnection when the twoopposite fields cancel each other beforereconnecting.

IntegralIntegral operations continue smoothly, withthe spacecraft, instruments and groundsegment all performing nominally. Targetsselected in response to the 4th

Announcement for Observing proposals(AO-4) are being observed. AO-4 includes apilot key programme observation of thegalactic bulge region, which attracted a greatdeal of interest. The scientific community willbe invited to propose specific keyprogrammes in AO-5.

Integral scientific results have been reportedin 203 refereed (of which 62 are from 2006)and 355 non-refereed publications. The 6thIntegral workshop was held at the SpaceResearch Institute (IKI) in Moscow with thetheme ‘The Obscured Universe’. Theworkshop was attended by about 180scientists from around the world. The topicsdiscussed covered nearly all the majorscientific areas being investigated usingIntegral, including the nature of the high-energy cosmic background, massive blackholes, and nucleosynthesis and X-raybinaries in our own Galaxy.

Mars ExpressIn early June, Mars Express celebrated3 years in space. Most of the summer wasspent preparing for, and entering, the power-challenging eclipse/aphelion season. Thespecial Survival Mode was tested andsuccessfully used to sail safely through the

longest eclipses. With the craft beingconfigured for the low-power/aphelionseason, payload operations are suspended(except for radio science during solarconjunction) for some 10 weeks. However,thanks to excellent support from the fullground segment, it proved possible to maketwo sets of coordinated Mars Express-NASARover/CRISM spectrometer observationsbetween the low-power/aphelion and thesolar conjunction windows. Insufficientdownlink capacity was available at the time,and the data will be downlinked after the endof the solar conjunction on 5 November.

The latest major Mars Express discovery wasmade by the SPICAM team when they foundthe highest clouds above any planetarysurface. The results are a new piece in thepuzzle of how the Martian atmosphere works.Until now, scientists had been aware only ofthe clouds that hug the Martian surface andlower reaches of the atmosphere. Thanks toSPICAM, a fleeting layer of clouds wasdiscovered at an altitude of 80–100 km, mostlikely composed of carbon dioxide.

A spectacular set of images covering theCydonia region, and including the famous‘Face on Mars’ and its appearance followingyears of geological processing, werereleased, and can be found onhttp://www.esa.int/marsexpress

Double StarThe two spacecraft and their instruments areoperating nominally. TC-2 has started theeclipse season and TC-1 follows in November.

The European Payload Operation System,which coordinates the operations for theseven European instruments, is runningsmoothly. Data are acquired using theVILSPA 2 ground station for 3.8 h/day over anaverage of two passes per day. The availabilityof the ground station between January andJuly 2006 was above 99%.

A study on pulsed magnetic reconnection waspublished in Annales Geophysicae usingDouble Star and Cluster data. It was shownthat newly reconnected flux tubes (‘fluxtransfer events’) are observed in theequatorial plane by Double Star and at higherlatitude by Cluster. This showed that thereconnection site was at least extended over2 h in local time. Furthermore, Double Starcould detect these events during one of itslongest observations (about 8 h).

RosettaAt the end of its first period of solarconjunction, lasting March–May 2006,Rosetta was configured in Passive CruiseMode during June and July. In this mode, thecraft’s activity level is reduced and groundcontact is limited to once per week.Nevertheless, at the beginning of July it waspossible to perform, via time-taggedcommands autonomously executed onboard,measurements of the plasma environmentwith the RPC instruments while Rosetta wascrossing the tail of Comet Honda. In August,preparation for the Mars swingby of25 February 2007 began, with more frequenttracking from ESA’s New Norcia and NASA’sDeep Space Network ground stations. Thefourth periodic payload checkout took place atthe end of August, when the scientificinstruments were activated in sequence andchecked out over a period of 5 days outside ofground contact, and the resultinghousekeeping and science telemetry data

downlinked to the ground station at the endof the test. Preliminary analysis indicates thatall instruments and the Philae lander are ingood health.

On 29 September the second large DeepSpace Manoeuvre was executed to target thetrajectory for the Mars swingby. Themanoeuvre was extremely accurate (0.1%)and placed Rosetta on its final coursetowards the Red Planet.

Intense analysis, testing and validationactivities are under way at the Control Centrein preparation of the next critical missionphases: Mars and Earth swingbys inFebruary and November 2007, respectively,and the first asteroid (Steins) flyby inSeptember 2008. The payload is usuallyinactive in this cruise period, with theexception of periodic test activities andoccasional scientific opportunities. However,payload operations are planned forDecember, when there will be many test andcalibration activities, including majoronboard software updates.

Venus ExpressAfter the successful insertion into Venusorbit on 11 April, the spacecraft and itssubsystems and the payload passed theirin-orbit commissioning with flying colours.The spacecraft is functioning well and allpayload elements, with the exception of thePlanetary Fourier Spectrometer, shownominal performance. During Venus OrbitInsertion, VIRTIS provided spectacular viewsof the south pole’s cloud structure. On4 June commissioning concluded and thenominal science mission started.Management of the mission was transferredfrom the Scientific Projects Department tothe Research and Scientific SupportDepartment.

During the initial science phase theinstruments already demonstrated that theobjectives of the mission can be fulfilled:preliminary temperature and compositionprofiles of the atmosphere were derived. Thefeasibility of bi-static radar observations was

A perspective view of the Cydonia region of Mars based on images from the High Resolution Stereo Camera aboard Mars Express.Resolution is 13.7 m/pixel; date 22 July 2006. See the ‘In Brief’ news section of this issue for further information.(ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, G. Neukum)

demonstrated and the VMC imaging systemprovided the first sequences of theobservations of the cloud movements in theatmosphere. Most spectacular so far havebeen the observations by VIRTIS at thedifferent wavelengths in the 1–5 µm range. Itclearly showed that we can penetrate todifferent levels deep in the atmosphere andeven can relate the observations to distinctsurface features.

Venus Express is operated from the VEXMission Operations team at ESOC with daily8 h tracking passes via ESA’s deep spaceantenna in Cerbreros (E). Payload operationsare coordinated by the VEX ScienceOperations Centre at ESTEC.

SMART-1 The operational mission ended on3 September, at 05:42:22 UT, when the NewNorcia ground station in Australia lost radiocontact with the spacecraft. SMART-1 endedits journey in the Lake of Excellence, at34.4ºS/46.2ºW. The ~2 km/s impact tookplace on the nearside of the Moon, in a darkarea just near the terminator at a grazingangle of 5–10º. The time and location wasplanned to favour observations of the eventfrom ground-based telescopes. This wasachieved by a series of orbit manoeuvresduring the summer, using ingeniouscombinations of wheel offloading andthruster firings to reach an optimum orbit.The last manoeuvre was performed on1 September. A final adjustment had to bemade as a reanalysis of available lunar dataperformed at the University of Nottingham(UK) suggested that, in the absence of anyfurther manoeuvres, impact would very likelyoccur one orbit earlier if SMART-1 clippedthe rim of Clausius crater.

The impact concluded a highly successfulmission that, in addition to testing innovativespace technology, conducted a thoroughscientific exploration of the Moon for about ayear and a half, gathering data on themorphology and mineralogical compositionof the surface in visible, IR and X-raywavelengths.

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violent mass ejection took place from thestar about 10 000 years ago. This image wastaken with the far-IR surveyor instrument at90 µm. Akari is due to complete its first scanof the entire sky in October.

ESA’s contributions to the mission areworking well: regular and efficient groundstation coverage from Kiruna (S) andpointing reconstruction software, developedat ESAC, which is already in routine use. TheESAC team is in close contact with the OpenTime users in Europe, to maximise theoverall scientific return of the pointedobservations programme, despite increasingoperational constraints.

Hinode (Solar-B)Solar-B was launched on 22 September at21:36 UT from JAXA’s Uchinoura SpaceCentre and renamed Hinode (‘sunrise’). It is aJapan-led mission with US and UKinstrument participation and ESA andNorwegian ground support. It is studying themechanisms that power the solar atmosphereand looking for the causes of violent solareruptions. The Sun-pointing platform carriesthree major instrument packages:

– Solar Optical Telescope (SOT), a high-resolution (0.2 arcsec) visual imagingsystem with a vector magnetograph andspectrograph;

– X-ray Telescope (XRT), for coronalimaging in a wide temperature range from1 million K to over 30 million K;

– EUV Imaging Spectrograph (EIS), tomeasure temperatures and flows in thesolar corona.

The satellite is in good health. It was injectedinto an orbit well within the nominal rangeand then adjusted into its final Sun-synchronous polar orbit. Followingspacecraft commissioning, the threescientific instruments will be turned on bythe end of October. First observations areplanned for November.

Like its predecessor Yohkoh, Hinode startedout as a Japan/US/UK mission. In order to

enhance the scientific outcome of themission, ESA joined the Hinode team in 2005in the form of a coordinated endeavour withNorway. In partnership with the NorwegianSpace Centre in Oslo, ESA is providingground station coverage through theSvalbard Satellite Station. This is the onlystation in the world that can receive data foreach of Hinode’s 15 daily orbits. As a result,the data rate of Hinode and hence thescientific return of the mission will besignificantly increased, and scientists fromESA’s member states will have access to thedata. These will be accessible via theEuropean Hinode Data Centre, which is beingbuilt at the Institute of TheoreticalAstrophysics at the University of Oslo.

Herschel/PlanckThe satellite development in industry isprogressing well, with the completion of theflight hardware. The improvements to theinsulation system of Herschel’s cryostat torecover the full lifetime performance havebeen completed, and the cryostat is back inESTEC for another round of cryogenictesting. These tests include cryostat lifetimeverification and verification of the cryostatinternal straylight. The Flight Model (FM) ofthe Herschel Service Module (SVM) is nowfully assembled and in the final stages of itselectrical and functional testing. During thesummer, the SVM successfully supported thefirst System Validation Test (SVT), when thespacecraft was controlled by the missioncontrol centre, at ESOC.

The Planck spacecraft FM was returned toAlcatel (Cannes, F) for final electrical testing

and integration of the instruments andtelescope. The electrical and functionalverification testing is now concentrating onthe Planck SVM, and is overall progressingnominally. The telescope FM completed itscryogenic testing with the videogrammetrymeasurement of the displacements.

On the Herschel telescope, a Tiger Teamreviewed the results of the cryo-opticaltesting and confirmed readiness forintegration with the spacecraft.

All Herschel and Planck instruments are inthe final stages of their acceptance testingand instrument FM calibration. Planck’sinstrument testing was completed and theinstruments are being deliveried forintegration. Herschel’s instruments are closeto the start of their final calibration phase.

LISA PathfinderThe SMART-2/LISA PathfinderImplementation Phase contract isprogressing well. The main system activityduring the reporting period was theconsolidation of the spacecraft design andthe redefinition of the LISA TechnologyPackage (LTP) Central Assemblyaccommodation inside the spacecraft. Thisactivity was required in order to guarantee

the LTP structural integrity during launch,while ensuring the delicate thermoelasticperformance during the orbital measurementphases.

All the subsystem and equipment has nowbeen selected and the contracts kicked offwith one only exception: the thermalhardware is due to be procured in 2007. Animportant contract, awarded before thesummer, was the parallel development of thetwo European micropropulsion technologies(needle indium thrusters and slit caesiumthrusters). This additional technologydevelopment phase was deemed necessaryafter a previous competitive Invitation toTender revealed that no technologies wereready for use in LISA Pathfinder. The suitabletechnology will be selected in the second halfof 2007.

For the LTP, all the subsystem PDRs havebeen held and some CDRs have taken place.Good progress is being made despite themany technical challenges. The most criticalsubsystems are still the inertial sensorvacuum enclosure, the electrostaticsuspension front-end electronics and thecaging mechanism. Progress has been madeon all of these. Breadboard tests confirmedthe difficulty in meeting the extremelydemanding performance requirements ofthese subsystems.

In the meantime, tests continue on the LTPvarious Engineering Models, both to confirmthe basic concept of the electrostaticsuspension of the inertial sensor in thependulum facility at the University of Trentoand to measure the magnetic susceptibility ofthe test mass. The test mass is made from aspecial alloy (73% gold, 27% platinum bymass) designed to minimise thisfundamental property, to make the test massinsensitive to the spacecraft magnetic fieldand its gradient.

The Ground Segment, consisting of theMission Operation Centre and the Scienceand Technology Operation Centre, has beendefined and will undergo its PDR in October.

The launch is expected to take place at theend of 2009.

MicroscopeThe system- and satellite-level PDR was heldon 13 February 2006 and closed on 13 April2006 by the CNES Steering Committee. Theapproval to proceed with Phase-C/D was notgiven owing to delays in the development ofcritical technologies: the field-emissionelectric propulsion (FEEP) and T-SAGEinertial sensor. Since the Microscope FEEPdevelopment at ESA is closely linked to that

Professional and amateur observers fromSouth Africa, the Canary Islands, SouthAmerica, the continental USA, Hawaii andmany other locations participated in thecampaign. The most impressive observationwas the IR impact flash seen by theCanada-France-Hawaii telescope. The JointInstitute for Very-long BaselineInterferometry (JIVE) in Europe coordinateda successful joint campaign covering fiveradio telescopes.

In addition to its mission proper, SMART-1tested and calibrated parts of the groundsegment for the Chinese and Indian spaceagencies in preparation for their Chang’e-1and Chandrayaan lunar missions.

Akari (Astro-F)Akari, Japan’s IR astronomical satellite withESA participation, continues its sky surveyand its mapping of our cosmos. New excitingimages recently recorded by Akari depictscenes from the birth and death of stars. Inthe IR camera image of the reflection nebulaIC1396 at 9 µm and 18 µm (see photo), it ispossible to discern new generations of starsbeing born in the outer shells of gas anddust ejected by violent massive starformation at the centre of the nebula. Akari’ssuperior quality and high-resolution imagingallowed the clear detection of a shell-likedust cloud surrounding the old star U Hydraeat a distance of about 0.3 light years fromthe central star, implying that a short and

Akari reveals stars being born in nebula IC1396 (JAXA)

Hinode is operating successfully (JAXA)

The Herschel cryostat in the ESTEC cleanroom during preparationfor its straylight test

The LISA Pathfinder Engineering Model proof-mass undergoingmagnetic susceptibility testing at the International Bureau ofWeights and Measures (BIPM) in Paris

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violent mass ejection took place from thestar about 10 000 years ago. This image wastaken with the far-IR surveyor instrument at90 µm. Akari is due to complete its first scanof the entire sky in October.

ESA’s contributions to the mission areworking well: regular and efficient groundstation coverage from Kiruna (S) andpointing reconstruction software, developedat ESAC, which is already in routine use. TheESAC team is in close contact with the OpenTime users in Europe, to maximise theoverall scientific return of the pointedobservations programme, despite increasingoperational constraints.

Hinode (Solar-B)Solar-B was launched on 22 September at21:36 UT from JAXA’s Uchinoura SpaceCentre and renamed Hinode (‘sunrise’). It is aJapan-led mission with US and UKinstrument participation and ESA andNorwegian ground support. It is studying themechanisms that power the solar atmosphereand looking for the causes of violent solareruptions. The Sun-pointing platform carriesthree major instrument packages:

– Solar Optical Telescope (SOT), a high-resolution (0.2 arcsec) visual imagingsystem with a vector magnetograph andspectrograph;

– X-ray Telescope (XRT), for coronalimaging in a wide temperature range from1 million K to over 30 million K;

– EUV Imaging Spectrograph (EIS), tomeasure temperatures and flows in thesolar corona.

The satellite is in good health. It was injectedinto an orbit well within the nominal rangeand then adjusted into its final Sun-synchronous polar orbit. Followingspacecraft commissioning, the threescientific instruments will be turned on bythe end of October. First observations areplanned for November.

Like its predecessor Yohkoh, Hinode startedout as a Japan/US/UK mission. In order to

enhance the scientific outcome of themission, ESA joined the Hinode team in 2005in the form of a coordinated endeavour withNorway. In partnership with the NorwegianSpace Centre in Oslo, ESA is providingground station coverage through theSvalbard Satellite Station. This is the onlystation in the world that can receive data foreach of Hinode’s 15 daily orbits. As a result,the data rate of Hinode and hence thescientific return of the mission will besignificantly increased, and scientists fromESA’s member states will have access to thedata. These will be accessible via theEuropean Hinode Data Centre, which is beingbuilt at the Institute of TheoreticalAstrophysics at the University of Oslo.

Herschel/PlanckThe satellite development in industry isprogressing well, with the completion of theflight hardware. The improvements to theinsulation system of Herschel’s cryostat torecover the full lifetime performance havebeen completed, and the cryostat is back inESTEC for another round of cryogenictesting. These tests include cryostat lifetimeverification and verification of the cryostatinternal straylight. The Flight Model (FM) ofthe Herschel Service Module (SVM) is nowfully assembled and in the final stages of itselectrical and functional testing. During thesummer, the SVM successfully supported thefirst System Validation Test (SVT), when thespacecraft was controlled by the missioncontrol centre, at ESOC.

The Planck spacecraft FM was returned toAlcatel (Cannes, F) for final electrical testing

and integration of the instruments andtelescope. The electrical and functionalverification testing is now concentrating onthe Planck SVM, and is overall progressingnominally. The telescope FM completed itscryogenic testing with the videogrammetrymeasurement of the displacements.

On the Herschel telescope, a Tiger Teamreviewed the results of the cryo-opticaltesting and confirmed readiness forintegration with the spacecraft.

All Herschel and Planck instruments are inthe final stages of their acceptance testingand instrument FM calibration. Planck’sinstrument testing was completed and theinstruments are being deliveried forintegration. Herschel’s instruments are closeto the start of their final calibration phase.

LISA PathfinderThe SMART-2/LISA PathfinderImplementation Phase contract isprogressing well. The main system activityduring the reporting period was theconsolidation of the spacecraft design andthe redefinition of the LISA TechnologyPackage (LTP) Central Assemblyaccommodation inside the spacecraft. Thisactivity was required in order to guarantee

the LTP structural integrity during launch,while ensuring the delicate thermoelasticperformance during the orbital measurementphases.

All the subsystem and equipment has nowbeen selected and the contracts kicked offwith one only exception: the thermalhardware is due to be procured in 2007. Animportant contract, awarded before thesummer, was the parallel development of thetwo European micropropulsion technologies(needle indium thrusters and slit caesiumthrusters). This additional technologydevelopment phase was deemed necessaryafter a previous competitive Invitation toTender revealed that no technologies wereready for use in LISA Pathfinder. The suitabletechnology will be selected in the second halfof 2007.

For the LTP, all the subsystem PDRs havebeen held and some CDRs have taken place.Good progress is being made despite themany technical challenges. The most criticalsubsystems are still the inertial sensorvacuum enclosure, the electrostaticsuspension front-end electronics and thecaging mechanism. Progress has been madeon all of these. Breadboard tests confirmedthe difficulty in meeting the extremelydemanding performance requirements ofthese subsystems.

In the meantime, tests continue on the LTPvarious Engineering Models, both to confirmthe basic concept of the electrostaticsuspension of the inertial sensor in thependulum facility at the University of Trentoand to measure the magnetic susceptibility ofthe test mass. The test mass is made from aspecial alloy (73% gold, 27% platinum bymass) designed to minimise thisfundamental property, to make the test massinsensitive to the spacecraft magnetic fieldand its gradient.

The Ground Segment, consisting of theMission Operation Centre and the Scienceand Technology Operation Centre, has beendefined and will undergo its PDR in October.

The launch is expected to take place at theend of 2009.

MicroscopeThe system- and satellite-level PDR was heldon 13 February 2006 and closed on 13 April2006 by the CNES Steering Committee. Theapproval to proceed with Phase-C/D was notgiven owing to delays in the development ofcritical technologies: the field-emissionelectric propulsion (FEEP) and T-SAGEinertial sensor. Since the Microscope FEEPdevelopment at ESA is closely linked to that

Professional and amateur observers fromSouth Africa, the Canary Islands, SouthAmerica, the continental USA, Hawaii andmany other locations participated in thecampaign. The most impressive observationwas the IR impact flash seen by theCanada-France-Hawaii telescope. The JointInstitute for Very-long BaselineInterferometry (JIVE) in Europe coordinateda successful joint campaign covering fiveradio telescopes.

In addition to its mission proper, SMART-1tested and calibrated parts of the groundsegment for the Chinese and Indian spaceagencies in preparation for their Chang’e-1and Chandrayaan lunar missions.

Akari (Astro-F)Akari, Japan’s IR astronomical satellite withESA participation, continues its sky surveyand its mapping of our cosmos. New excitingimages recently recorded by Akari depictscenes from the birth and death of stars. Inthe IR camera image of the reflection nebulaIC1396 at 9 µm and 18 µm (see photo), it ispossible to discern new generations of starsbeing born in the outer shells of gas anddust ejected by violent massive starformation at the centre of the nebula. Akari’ssuperior quality and high-resolution imagingallowed the clear detection of a shell-likedust cloud surrounding the old star U Hydraeat a distance of about 0.3 light years fromthe central star, implying that a short and

Akari reveals stars being born in nebula IC1396 (JAXA)

Hinode is operating successfully (JAXA)

The Herschel cryostat in the ESTEC cleanroom during preparationfor its straylight test

The LISA Pathfinder Engineering Model proof-mass undergoingmagnetic susceptibility testing at the International Bureau ofWeights and Measures (BIPM) in Paris

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been implemented to deal respectively withthe specifics of the overall science data flowand the radiation characterisation of theCCDs.

The Gaia Science Team met at regularintervals to be briefed about the progress ofthe project, to provide advice as required andto discuss scientific matters.

JWSTNASA has reached a Technology ReadinessLevel (TRL) 6 for five out of ten JWST criticaltechnologies: the Sunshield membrane; thePrimary Mirror Segment Assembly; theSidecar ASIC; and the Near-IR and Mid-IRFocal Plane Assemblies. The last threeelements are part of the NIRSpec and MIRIinstruments. Following recent problems invibro-acoustic tests, the NASA-providedNIRSpec Micro Shutter Array will be the lastitem to reach TRL-6, in December 2006.

NASA-provided software platforms and EGSEwere delivered to the MIRI and NIRSpecinstrument developers. European personnelalso received the training to operate thisequipment.

The build-up of the NIRSpec industrialconsortium is reaching completion, with the

last two procurements being finalised. TheNIRSpec subsystems CDR campaign isstarting.

Problems were encountered during theenvironmental and operational lifetimetesting of the NASA-provided Micro ShutterArray flight-like devices. During the random vibration test, shutters remainedstuck in the closed position and wire bonds and flex mounts broke. However,stiction problems remain the biggestconcern.

The MIRI subsystem CDR campaign wasconcluded before the summer break. Theaction plan to close all open issues isconsistent with the preparation of the MIRIoptical system CDR, scheduled to kick-off inDecember.

Parts and subassemblies for the instrumentVerification Model are being manufacturedand tested. The MIRI Contamination ControlCover was delivered after successfulvibration and cryogenic testing.

Finalisation of the ‘Definition Phase of theJWST Launch Services’ contract is underway. This definition phase will cover activitiesfrom now until 3 years before launch, and ismeant to assist NASA and the JWST PrimeContractor during the development of themission.

on LISA Pathfinder, CNES decided topostpone the Phase-C/D until the end of thedevelopment/qualification phase of the LISAPathfinder FEEP, planned for September 2007.

In the period March–June 2006, CNES studiedalternative propulsion solutions to the slitFEEP. Two backup solutions were analysed:the needle FEEP being studied within the LISAPathfinder parallel FEEP Phase-1 and themicronewton proportional cold-gas thruster(based on the technology development forGaia). CNES presented the results of theanalysis to their Board on 28 June, whichrecommended focusing on the nominal slitFEEP solution and monitoring with ESAsupport the development of the backupsolutions.

Phase-B for the T-SAGE accelerometerdevelopment at ONERA was closed in May,though a delta-Phase-B is required in order toimplement the recommendations of the PDRto solve the outstanding issues before starting Phase-C.

GaiaIn early July, Gaia passed the SystemRequirements Review, the first majormilestone in the life cycle of a project. Theboard members declared that it had met allthe objectives; this was very importantbecause it forms the basis for the start of thedetailed design activities.

The competitive selection of subcontractorscontinues according to the rules of theAgency. At the time of writing, more than athird of the nearly 80 procurements have beensuccessfully completed. The progress of thisactivity is critical for the overall schedulestability of Gaia. The major risks, such asflight CCD production, mirror polishing andthe detailed design work on the payloadmodule, are all well in hand and progressingsatisfactorily. No impact on the overallschedule for a launch at the end of 2011 hasbeen identified.

In agreement with the Gaia Science Team, anumber of dedicated working groups have

JWST: the spacecraft's 6.5 m-diameter primary mirrorconsists of 18 semi-rigidhexagonal segments

The BepiColombo composite: the Mercury Transfer Moduleattached to the MPO and MMO spacecraft

BepiColomboThe BepiColombo mission scenario foreseesa Soyuz-Fregat launch in August 2013 andarrival at Mercury in August 2019 for anominal 1-year scientific mission.

Proposals from Alcatel Alenia Space andAstrium were received on 17 May 2006 inresponse to the Invitation to Tender for theImplementation Phase. The TenderEvaluation Board, supported by a large teamof specialists, performed a detailedevaluation of the proposals andrecommended selection of the Astriumproposal. Both contenders were informed ofthis result on 6 July. Subsequentnegotiations took place to integrate AlcatelAlenia Space within the core team. Thecontract proposal will be submitted to theIndustrial Policy Committee at the end ofJanuary 2007. The cost-at-completion willbe submitted to the Scientific ProgrammeCommittee (SPC) for approval in February2007.

The third Science Working Team meetingwas held in Padova (I) 26–28 September.The instrument design and prototyping isproceeding according to plan, but theimmediate allocation of funds is of concernto some Principal Investigators. The projectplaces particular emphasis on modelphilosophy, verification and procurementschedule for the present work with theExperimenter teams until detailed interfaceand accommodation work can be startedwith the Prime Contractor. The financialcommitment from the Lead FundingAgencies to support the payload on theMercury Planetary Orbiter is being obtainedin accordance with the Science ManagementPlan. The proposed text of the Multi-LateralAgreement between ESA and the LeadFunding Agencies has been informallydiscussed between all parties and is nowbeing distributed for final approval. Likewise,a bilateral agreement between ESA andRoskosmos was drafted for the MercuryGamma-ray and Neutron Spectrometer.

The joint Memorandum of Understandingwith JAXA for the Mercury Magnetospheric

Orbiter is awaiting JAXA approval, after whichit will be submitted to the SPC.

The technology demonstration work forgridded ion thrusters is continuing on theAstrium RIT thruster and the QinetiQ T6engine; almost 5000 h of thrust time has beenachieved.

LISAThe Mission Formulation activity with AstriumGmbH is in its Phase-2 and is proceedingwell. Following consolidation of the missionbaseline architecture design, some trade-offsof alternative configurations were performed.These deal with alternative payload concepts,including off-axis telescope, in-field-of-viewpointing and single proof-mass configuration.

The possibility of stable maintenance of thetriangular constellation, thus removing thebreathing angle, was analysed. The conclusionis that this option cannot be considered anyfurther for two main reasons: the requiredthrust authority would be far above the FEEPcapabilities, and the noise induced by thisactive/permanent thrust would severelydegrade the measurement sensitivity of theLISA system.

Technology Development Activities Invitationsto Tender will be released shortly to coveroptical mechanisms, optical bench andtelescope characterisation.

NASA is currently initiating an NRC review todecide on the prioritisation of the BeyondEinstein programme elements (LISA, Con-Xand the JDEM probes). The target date forthe final decision is October 2007. The LISAproject is well under way in updating thedocuments that are expected to be required.In parallel, NASA is supporting the missionformulation activity. Regular QuarterlyProgress Meetings and Technical InterchangeMeetings are held to exchange informationand results and jointly to consolidate themission design.

GOCESubstantial progress has been made with thegradiometer instrument over the past fewmonths. Three Accelerometer Sensor Head(ASH) Flight Models (FMs) have beenassembled and tested at ONERA. Five ASHshave therefore been completed to date; asixth is being assembled and is expected toenter acceptance testing before the end ofOctober. Alcatel Alenia Space has integratedthe three Front-End Electronic Unit FMs, theThermal Control Electronic Unit Proto-FlightModel (PFM) and the GradiometerAccelerometer Interface Electronic Unit PFMand nearly completed the final functionaltesting. Moreover, the upgrade of theStructural Thermal Model of the GradiometerCore, which will be used during the satelliteFM test campaign, has also been completed.

On the platform side, there was a severesetback on 19 July when an anomaly in theElectrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE)triggered a chain of events that ultimately ledto an over-voltage on the platform PFM,causing the failure of one power converter ofthe Command and Data Monitoring Unit(CDMU) PFM and stress on many electroniccomponents of the Power Conditioning andDistribution Unit (PCDU) PFM. Both unitswere demounted and returned to theirmanufacturers for further investigation andrecovery. The EGSE unit was also returnedfor correction. As a consequence, thefunctional testing of the platform PFM had tobe stopped, while the closed-loop functionaltesting of the Drag Free Attitude Control

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been implemented to deal respectively withthe specifics of the overall science data flowand the radiation characterisation of theCCDs.

The Gaia Science Team met at regularintervals to be briefed about the progress ofthe project, to provide advice as required andto discuss scientific matters.

JWSTNASA has reached a Technology ReadinessLevel (TRL) 6 for five out of ten JWST criticaltechnologies: the Sunshield membrane; thePrimary Mirror Segment Assembly; theSidecar ASIC; and the Near-IR and Mid-IRFocal Plane Assemblies. The last threeelements are part of the NIRSpec and MIRIinstruments. Following recent problems invibro-acoustic tests, the NASA-providedNIRSpec Micro Shutter Array will be the lastitem to reach TRL-6, in December 2006.

NASA-provided software platforms and EGSEwere delivered to the MIRI and NIRSpecinstrument developers. European personnelalso received the training to operate thisequipment.

The build-up of the NIRSpec industrialconsortium is reaching completion, with the

last two procurements being finalised. TheNIRSpec subsystems CDR campaign isstarting.

Problems were encountered during theenvironmental and operational lifetimetesting of the NASA-provided Micro ShutterArray flight-like devices. During the random vibration test, shutters remainedstuck in the closed position and wire bonds and flex mounts broke. However,stiction problems remain the biggestconcern.

The MIRI subsystem CDR campaign wasconcluded before the summer break. Theaction plan to close all open issues isconsistent with the preparation of the MIRIoptical system CDR, scheduled to kick-off inDecember.

Parts and subassemblies for the instrumentVerification Model are being manufacturedand tested. The MIRI Contamination ControlCover was delivered after successfulvibration and cryogenic testing.

Finalisation of the ‘Definition Phase of theJWST Launch Services’ contract is underway. This definition phase will cover activitiesfrom now until 3 years before launch, and ismeant to assist NASA and the JWST PrimeContractor during the development of themission.

on LISA Pathfinder, CNES decided topostpone the Phase-C/D until the end of thedevelopment/qualification phase of the LISAPathfinder FEEP, planned for September 2007.

In the period March–June 2006, CNES studiedalternative propulsion solutions to the slitFEEP. Two backup solutions were analysed:the needle FEEP being studied within the LISAPathfinder parallel FEEP Phase-1 and themicronewton proportional cold-gas thruster(based on the technology development forGaia). CNES presented the results of theanalysis to their Board on 28 June, whichrecommended focusing on the nominal slitFEEP solution and monitoring with ESAsupport the development of the backupsolutions.

Phase-B for the T-SAGE accelerometerdevelopment at ONERA was closed in May,though a delta-Phase-B is required in order toimplement the recommendations of the PDRto solve the outstanding issues before starting Phase-C.

GaiaIn early July, Gaia passed the SystemRequirements Review, the first majormilestone in the life cycle of a project. Theboard members declared that it had met allthe objectives; this was very importantbecause it forms the basis for the start of thedetailed design activities.

The competitive selection of subcontractorscontinues according to the rules of theAgency. At the time of writing, more than athird of the nearly 80 procurements have beensuccessfully completed. The progress of thisactivity is critical for the overall schedulestability of Gaia. The major risks, such asflight CCD production, mirror polishing andthe detailed design work on the payloadmodule, are all well in hand and progressingsatisfactorily. No impact on the overallschedule for a launch at the end of 2011 hasbeen identified.

In agreement with the Gaia Science Team, anumber of dedicated working groups have

JWST: the spacecraft's 6.5 m-diameter primary mirrorconsists of 18 semi-rigidhexagonal segments

The BepiColombo composite: the Mercury Transfer Moduleattached to the MPO and MMO spacecraft

BepiColomboThe BepiColombo mission scenario foreseesa Soyuz-Fregat launch in August 2013 andarrival at Mercury in August 2019 for anominal 1-year scientific mission.

Proposals from Alcatel Alenia Space andAstrium were received on 17 May 2006 inresponse to the Invitation to Tender for theImplementation Phase. The TenderEvaluation Board, supported by a large teamof specialists, performed a detailedevaluation of the proposals andrecommended selection of the Astriumproposal. Both contenders were informed ofthis result on 6 July. Subsequentnegotiations took place to integrate AlcatelAlenia Space within the core team. Thecontract proposal will be submitted to theIndustrial Policy Committee at the end ofJanuary 2007. The cost-at-completion willbe submitted to the Scientific ProgrammeCommittee (SPC) for approval in February2007.

The third Science Working Team meetingwas held in Padova (I) 26–28 September.The instrument design and prototyping isproceeding according to plan, but theimmediate allocation of funds is of concernto some Principal Investigators. The projectplaces particular emphasis on modelphilosophy, verification and procurementschedule for the present work with theExperimenter teams until detailed interfaceand accommodation work can be startedwith the Prime Contractor. The financialcommitment from the Lead FundingAgencies to support the payload on theMercury Planetary Orbiter is being obtainedin accordance with the Science ManagementPlan. The proposed text of the Multi-LateralAgreement between ESA and the LeadFunding Agencies has been informallydiscussed between all parties and is nowbeing distributed for final approval. Likewise,a bilateral agreement between ESA andRoskosmos was drafted for the MercuryGamma-ray and Neutron Spectrometer.

The joint Memorandum of Understandingwith JAXA for the Mercury Magnetospheric

Orbiter is awaiting JAXA approval, after whichit will be submitted to the SPC.

The technology demonstration work forgridded ion thrusters is continuing on theAstrium RIT thruster and the QinetiQ T6engine; almost 5000 h of thrust time has beenachieved.

LISAThe Mission Formulation activity with AstriumGmbH is in its Phase-2 and is proceedingwell. Following consolidation of the missionbaseline architecture design, some trade-offsof alternative configurations were performed.These deal with alternative payload concepts,including off-axis telescope, in-field-of-viewpointing and single proof-mass configuration.

The possibility of stable maintenance of thetriangular constellation, thus removing thebreathing angle, was analysed. The conclusionis that this option cannot be considered anyfurther for two main reasons: the requiredthrust authority would be far above the FEEPcapabilities, and the noise induced by thisactive/permanent thrust would severelydegrade the measurement sensitivity of theLISA system.

Technology Development Activities Invitationsto Tender will be released shortly to coveroptical mechanisms, optical bench andtelescope characterisation.

NASA is currently initiating an NRC review todecide on the prioritisation of the BeyondEinstein programme elements (LISA, Con-Xand the JDEM probes). The target date forthe final decision is October 2007. The LISAproject is well under way in updating thedocuments that are expected to be required.In parallel, NASA is supporting the missionformulation activity. Regular QuarterlyProgress Meetings and Technical InterchangeMeetings are held to exchange informationand results and jointly to consolidate themission design.

GOCESubstantial progress has been made with thegradiometer instrument over the past fewmonths. Three Accelerometer Sensor Head(ASH) Flight Models (FMs) have beenassembled and tested at ONERA. Five ASHshave therefore been completed to date; asixth is being assembled and is expected toenter acceptance testing before the end ofOctober. Alcatel Alenia Space has integratedthe three Front-End Electronic Unit FMs, theThermal Control Electronic Unit Proto-FlightModel (PFM) and the GradiometerAccelerometer Interface Electronic Unit PFMand nearly completed the final functionaltesting. Moreover, the upgrade of theStructural Thermal Model of the GradiometerCore, which will be used during the satelliteFM test campaign, has also been completed.

On the platform side, there was a severesetback on 19 July when an anomaly in theElectrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE)triggered a chain of events that ultimately ledto an over-voltage on the platform PFM,causing the failure of one power converter ofthe Command and Data Monitoring Unit(CDMU) PFM and stress on many electroniccomponents of the Power Conditioning andDistribution Unit (PCDU) PFM. Both unitswere demounted and returned to theirmanufacturers for further investigation andrecovery. The EGSE unit was also returnedfor correction. As a consequence, thefunctional testing of the platform PFM had tobe stopped, while the closed-loop functionaltesting of the Drag Free Attitude Control

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Reactivation of the campaign meant thatsome essential and time-consuming activitieshad to be repeated. These were mainly solararray preparation, instrument cleaning and,finally, a satellite functional test.

MetOp was remated with its Fregat upperstage and reencapsulated to form the ‘UpperComposite’. Unfortunately, during the transferof the Upper Composite from the integrationfacilities to the transport train, a handlingerror caused a mechanical shock. Thisnecessitated an investigation to check theintegrity of the flight hardware, includingmechanical analysis of the loads induced onthe spacecraft and a detailed visual inspectionthat required MetOp’s return to the cleanroomand removal from the fairing. The inspectionrevealed no damage to the satellite, andcomplementary analyses from the launcherauthorities (TsKB, NPO-L and EADS-Casa))and the spacecraft industry (Astrium)demonstrated that the allowable specificationsfor MetOp loads were not exceeded.

These additional activities meant that thelaunch date had to be delayed, to 17 October.Final preparations, formal rehearsals andsimulations for both the launch and early orbitphase, satellite in-orbit verification androutine operations phases of the MetOpmission were completed. Both ESOC andEumetsat Ground Systems are ready for thesatellite launch. The 17 October launchattempt was halted by another Soyuz groundcontrol system problem and the 18 Octoberattempt was thwarted by high-altitude winds,but MetOp successfully reached orbit on19 October.

System on the platform Engineering ModelTest Bench continue. In order to minimiseimpact on the overall schedule, it was decidedto use the time to recover the CDMU andPCDU PFMs to pack and ship the platformPFM and associated EGSE to the satelliteprime contractor. Platform PFM transportationtook place during the last week of September.It was agreed that industry will continue towork double shifts until completion of theassembly, integration and test programme.

Final acceptance testing of the first of twoidentical Ion Thruster Assemblies (ITA FM1)was successfully completed in September. ITAFM2 testing then began and will be followedby the integration of ITA FM1 and FM2 on apanel where the xenon gas feed system andthe two Ion Propulsion Control Units havealready been integrated. Functional tests areexpected to take place throughout Octoberand November, before final delivery of the fullIon Propulsion Assembly PFM in December.

The Factory Acceptance Test of Version 1 ofthe ground segment’s Calibration andMonitoring Facility & Reference PlanningFacility was completed in July. The pre-acceptance review of Version 2 of the Level 1to Level 2 High Level Processing Facility ofthe European GOCE Gravity Consortium washeld in July. Development of the FlightOperations Segment and the Payload DataSegment continue according to plan, andentry into the Ground Segment OverallValidation phase is expected soon.

CryoSat-2The Contract for the Phase-C/D/E1development of the CryoSat-2 satellite wassigned with Astrium GmbH on 26 July 2006.Almost all of the subcontractor contracts havealso been negotiated and kicked off.Manufacturing is in progress and many itemsof the flight structure, including compositepanels and machined elements, are ready forintegration.

Most equipment has seen some designevolution (owing to obsolescence of electronicparts, for example) while in a few cases

87esa bulletin 128 - november 2006www.esa.int

limited redesign has been necessary toabsorb the impact of the redundant SIRALand to eliminate minor weaknesses foundduring the original CryoSat development. Inthree cases the manufacturer is developing anew equipment design to replaceobsolescent equipment used in the originalCryoSat. Consequently a series of delta-CDRs at equipment level have been held,leading up to the system-level delta-CDRstarting in November 2006. The major lower-level delta-CDR for SIRAL was completed inJuly.

A 3-month delay in the star tracker deliverywas announced, which appears to be aknock-on effect from damage incurred duringtesting of a star tracker in anotherprogramme. Since the same design is usedin several ESA programmes, the possibility ofoptimising the production sequence andschedule to reduce the delay for CryoSat,without introducing delay to the otherprogrammes, is being investigated.

The process of approving all electronic partshas been almost completed during thisreporting period.

Close-out work on the various componentsof the Payload Data Ground Segment hasfinished and the facilities hibernated. No

further activities will be undertaken until2007. The launch is scheduled for March2009.

SMOSDelivery of subsystem units for the payloadprotoflight model continues. All LICEFreceivers have been delivered, and are beingused to populate the arm segments of thestructural model to undergo the ‘on farm’antenna pattern characterisation at theTechnical University of Denmark. All threearm measurements have been completed;still to be measured is the central hubstructure with one adjacent segment of eacharm. Once all the antenna characterisation iscompleted, the LICEF receivers will betransferred to the FM arm segments that areunder integration with electrical, radio-frequency and optical harness, thermalcontrol hardware, and other subsystemssuch as the noise sources of the calibrationsubsystem.

Platform integration of the recurrent Proteusplatform has progressed significantly at theAlcatel Alenia Space facilities (Cannes, F). Itis interrupted owing to the resumption of theCalypso launch campaign. Rockot launcher

Flight Model of theADM-Aeolus telescope

interfaces were reviewed in the PreliminaryMission Analysis Meeting involving ESA,CNES, Alcatel, Eurockot and Khrunichev.

For the overall SMOS ground segment, thePDR has been completed. While the elementsof the flight operations ground segment,both on the CNES and the ESA side, werefound to be in an adequate developmentstate, the payload data ground segment,including the data processors for level-1 and-2 data products, were judged to beschedule-critical. Backup solutions weresuggested by the Board for investigation andeventual implementation by the project.

The building refurbishment and preparationsfor the X-band receive antenna areprogressing nominally for installing the ESA-part of the ground segment at ESAC (E).

ADM-AeolusThe FM platform with tanks, pipework andharness installed was shipped to AstriumFriedrichshafen (D) for integration of theflight electronics units. Tests on the flightsoftware using the onboard computer andthe first platform electronics units areshowing satisfactory results. The siliconcarbide FM telescope integration is completeand its performance is excellent. Allelectronic units of the flight instrumentexcept the laser have been bench-testedtogether; their performance is excellent.

There have been further thermo-mechanicalproblems with the laser. As a result, thethermal-vacuum test of the QualificationModel will now start in November.

A workshop for potential users was held atESTEC at the end of September. All usersexpected a significant impact from thesatellite on Numerical Weather Prediction.There will be many other benefits inclimatology. There was widespread supportfor follow-on missions to avoid a data gapbefore the first post-MetOp satellite. Thisincluded some suggestions for cooperationwith the US, where there is at present nocomparable mission.

Launch of the satellite remains scheduled forSeptember 2008.

SwarmPhase-B of the satellite activities with EADSAstrium GmbH is progressing. The SatelliteSystem Requirement Review is completed.Feasibility and preliminary mission analysisstudies have been initiated with Arianespace,Kosmotras and Eurockot.

Procurement activities for the satellite unitsand instruments are well advanced, withsubcontractor bids for critical elements ofthe programme already in the negotiationphase and close to kick-off. Other offers arein preparation.

Phase-B of the Electrical Field Instrument isprogressing. Breadboard activities of thecritical elements are near completion.

The Absolute Scalar magnetometer Phase-Bis underway with LETI, Grenoble (F), underthe leadership of CNES. The breadboardactivities of the instrument are nearcompletion. The manufacturing of theEngineering Model has started. The PDR isplanned for mid-December.

MetOpThe planned launch date for MetOp-A of17 July could not be kept. After threeconsecutive launch attempts, all halted by theSoyuz ground control system through avariety of relatively minor operationalproblems, the launcher’s maximum periodallowable in a fuelled condition was exceededand it had to be returned to the manufacturer(TskB in Samara) for refurbishment. Thesatellite was returned to the integrationfacilities for storage.

Starsem and its industrial partners analysedthe causes of the launch interrupts andidentified technical solutions that allowed thelaunch campaign to restart on 30 Augustconsistent with a launch on 7 October.

Launch of MetOp-A from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 19 Octoberaboard a Soyuz-2/Fregat

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Reactivation of the campaign meant thatsome essential and time-consuming activitieshad to be repeated. These were mainly solararray preparation, instrument cleaning and,finally, a satellite functional test.

MetOp was remated with its Fregat upperstage and reencapsulated to form the ‘UpperComposite’. Unfortunately, during the transferof the Upper Composite from the integrationfacilities to the transport train, a handlingerror caused a mechanical shock. Thisnecessitated an investigation to check theintegrity of the flight hardware, includingmechanical analysis of the loads induced onthe spacecraft and a detailed visual inspectionthat required MetOp’s return to the cleanroomand removal from the fairing. The inspectionrevealed no damage to the satellite, andcomplementary analyses from the launcherauthorities (TsKB, NPO-L and EADS-Casa))and the spacecraft industry (Astrium)demonstrated that the allowable specificationsfor MetOp loads were not exceeded.

These additional activities meant that thelaunch date had to be delayed, to 17 October.Final preparations, formal rehearsals andsimulations for both the launch and early orbitphase, satellite in-orbit verification androutine operations phases of the MetOpmission were completed. Both ESOC andEumetsat Ground Systems are ready for thesatellite launch. The 17 October launchattempt was halted by another Soyuz groundcontrol system problem and the 18 Octoberattempt was thwarted by high-altitude winds,but MetOp successfully reached orbit on19 October.

System on the platform Engineering ModelTest Bench continue. In order to minimiseimpact on the overall schedule, it was decidedto use the time to recover the CDMU andPCDU PFMs to pack and ship the platformPFM and associated EGSE to the satelliteprime contractor. Platform PFM transportationtook place during the last week of September.It was agreed that industry will continue towork double shifts until completion of theassembly, integration and test programme.

Final acceptance testing of the first of twoidentical Ion Thruster Assemblies (ITA FM1)was successfully completed in September. ITAFM2 testing then began and will be followedby the integration of ITA FM1 and FM2 on apanel where the xenon gas feed system andthe two Ion Propulsion Control Units havealready been integrated. Functional tests areexpected to take place throughout Octoberand November, before final delivery of the fullIon Propulsion Assembly PFM in December.

The Factory Acceptance Test of Version 1 ofthe ground segment’s Calibration andMonitoring Facility & Reference PlanningFacility was completed in July. The pre-acceptance review of Version 2 of the Level 1to Level 2 High Level Processing Facility ofthe European GOCE Gravity Consortium washeld in July. Development of the FlightOperations Segment and the Payload DataSegment continue according to plan, andentry into the Ground Segment OverallValidation phase is expected soon.

CryoSat-2The Contract for the Phase-C/D/E1development of the CryoSat-2 satellite wassigned with Astrium GmbH on 26 July 2006.Almost all of the subcontractor contracts havealso been negotiated and kicked off.Manufacturing is in progress and many itemsof the flight structure, including compositepanels and machined elements, are ready forintegration.

Most equipment has seen some designevolution (owing to obsolescence of electronicparts, for example) while in a few cases

87esa bulletin 128 - november 2006www.esa.int

limited redesign has been necessary toabsorb the impact of the redundant SIRALand to eliminate minor weaknesses foundduring the original CryoSat development. Inthree cases the manufacturer is developing anew equipment design to replaceobsolescent equipment used in the originalCryoSat. Consequently a series of delta-CDRs at equipment level have been held,leading up to the system-level delta-CDRstarting in November 2006. The major lower-level delta-CDR for SIRAL was completed inJuly.

A 3-month delay in the star tracker deliverywas announced, which appears to be aknock-on effect from damage incurred duringtesting of a star tracker in anotherprogramme. Since the same design is usedin several ESA programmes, the possibility ofoptimising the production sequence andschedule to reduce the delay for CryoSat,without introducing delay to the otherprogrammes, is being investigated.

The process of approving all electronic partshas been almost completed during thisreporting period.

Close-out work on the various componentsof the Payload Data Ground Segment hasfinished and the facilities hibernated. No

further activities will be undertaken until2007. The launch is scheduled for March2009.

SMOSDelivery of subsystem units for the payloadprotoflight model continues. All LICEFreceivers have been delivered, and are beingused to populate the arm segments of thestructural model to undergo the ‘on farm’antenna pattern characterisation at theTechnical University of Denmark. All threearm measurements have been completed;still to be measured is the central hubstructure with one adjacent segment of eacharm. Once all the antenna characterisation iscompleted, the LICEF receivers will betransferred to the FM arm segments that areunder integration with electrical, radio-frequency and optical harness, thermalcontrol hardware, and other subsystemssuch as the noise sources of the calibrationsubsystem.

Platform integration of the recurrent Proteusplatform has progressed significantly at theAlcatel Alenia Space facilities (Cannes, F). Itis interrupted owing to the resumption of theCalypso launch campaign. Rockot launcher

Flight Model of theADM-Aeolus telescope

interfaces were reviewed in the PreliminaryMission Analysis Meeting involving ESA,CNES, Alcatel, Eurockot and Khrunichev.

For the overall SMOS ground segment, thePDR has been completed. While the elementsof the flight operations ground segment,both on the CNES and the ESA side, werefound to be in an adequate developmentstate, the payload data ground segment,including the data processors for level-1 and-2 data products, were judged to beschedule-critical. Backup solutions weresuggested by the Board for investigation andeventual implementation by the project.

The building refurbishment and preparationsfor the X-band receive antenna areprogressing nominally for installing the ESA-part of the ground segment at ESAC (E).

ADM-AeolusThe FM platform with tanks, pipework andharness installed was shipped to AstriumFriedrichshafen (D) for integration of theflight electronics units. Tests on the flightsoftware using the onboard computer andthe first platform electronics units areshowing satisfactory results. The siliconcarbide FM telescope integration is completeand its performance is excellent. Allelectronic units of the flight instrumentexcept the laser have been bench-testedtogether; their performance is excellent.

There have been further thermo-mechanicalproblems with the laser. As a result, thethermal-vacuum test of the QualificationModel will now start in November.

A workshop for potential users was held atESTEC at the end of September. All usersexpected a significant impact from thesatellite on Numerical Weather Prediction.There will be many other benefits inclimatology. There was widespread supportfor follow-on missions to avoid a data gapbefore the first post-MetOp satellite. Thisincluded some suggestions for cooperationwith the US, where there is at present nocomparable mission.

Launch of the satellite remains scheduled forSeptember 2008.

SwarmPhase-B of the satellite activities with EADSAstrium GmbH is progressing. The SatelliteSystem Requirement Review is completed.Feasibility and preliminary mission analysisstudies have been initiated with Arianespace,Kosmotras and Eurockot.

Procurement activities for the satellite unitsand instruments are well advanced, withsubcontractor bids for critical elements ofthe programme already in the negotiationphase and close to kick-off. Other offers arein preparation.

Phase-B of the Electrical Field Instrument isprogressing. Breadboard activities of thecritical elements are near completion.

The Absolute Scalar magnetometer Phase-Bis underway with LETI, Grenoble (F), underthe leadership of CNES. The breadboardactivities of the instrument are nearcompletion. The manufacturing of theEngineering Model has started. The PDR isplanned for mid-December.

MetOpThe planned launch date for MetOp-A of17 July could not be kept. After threeconsecutive launch attempts, all halted by theSoyuz ground control system through avariety of relatively minor operationalproblems, the launcher’s maximum periodallowable in a fuelled condition was exceededand it had to be returned to the manufacturer(TskB in Samara) for refurbishment. Thesatellite was returned to the integrationfacilities for storage.

Starsem and its industrial partners analysedthe causes of the launch interrupts andidentified technical solutions that allowed thelaunch campaign to restart on 30 Augustconsistent with a launch on 7 October.

Launch of MetOp-A from Baikonur Cosmodrome on 19 Octoberaboard a Soyuz-2/Fregat

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the third member of the Expedition-13 ISScrew and is carrying out the long-durationAstrolab mission. Also launched, andcommissioned in the US Lab Destiny, wereESA’s European Modular Cultivation System,the –80ºC Freezer (MELFI) and thePercutaneous Electrical Muscle Stimulator.

On 9 September Space Shuttle Atlantis(STS-115) was launched to the ISS, markingthe return to major assembly work on theStation with the installation of the P3/P4truss – the first configuration change for theISS since November 2002.

The Space Station Control Board has madeprogress on the scheduling of the remainingShuttle flights to the ISS, with the Columbuslaunch on flight 1E on 17 October 2007.

Space Infrastructure DevelopmentThe Columbus ground processing Phase-1 atthe Kennedy Space Center was completed,including the integrated leak test whichdemonstrated that the ESA module is theleast susceptible Station module in thisrespect. Columbus is now in storage at theKSC until April 2007.

A European commercial carrier, the Astrium-built ICC-Lite, has been baselined as thepayload bay structure to support the SOLARobservatory and EuTEF facility payloads on

the Columbus launch, saving severalhundred kg of structural mass compared toits US counterpart.

Qualification and acceptance of theColumbus Control Centre is now almostcomplete, following the completion of thereview (Q&AR) with the Board on 21 July.

The ATV Jules Verne spacecraft hardwareand software is stable; acoustic and leaktests were completed and preparation isunder way for the final major environmentaltest, the thermal-vacuum test. The second ofthree functional qualification test campaignshas started on the Flight Simulation Facility(FSF) at Les Mureaux (F), and a number offunctional qualification tests were performed,and some major bilateral interface tests werealso completed. However, some problemsduring functional qualification testing, whichis on the critical path for the programme, arestill being encountered on test platforms,usually caused by equipment front ends, andqualification testing will now continuethrough into early 2007, resulting in a launchdate not earlier than mid-June 2007.

Qualification and acceptance of the ATVControl Centre is almost complete and thecorresponding Q&AR review has started.Operations qualification for the Jules Vernemission is well under way, with many parts

Thomas Reiter working in the Destiny laboratory, 10 September

MSGMeteosat-8/MSG-1

A reset of the Central Data Management Unit(CDMU) resulted in the satellite entering safemode on 23 September 2006. Although theexact cause is not yet known, it is likely to bea single event upset, as similar situationshave been observed on the Spacebus 3000CDMUs. After nominal reconfiguration, thesatellite became the operational satelliteagain on 10 October 2006. Satellite conditionis nominal and the instrument performanceremains of excellent quality.

Meteosat-9/MSG-2

After successful commissioning, MSG-2became the hot standby for Meteosat-8. WithMeteosat-8 entering safe mode on23 September, MSG-2 automatically becamethe operational satellite for the data deliveryuntil the switch back to Meteosat-8 on10 October. The satellite (now renamedMeteosat-9) shows flawless nominaloperations.

MSG-3

MSG-3’s flight PROM has been integratedand tested. It is planned to put MSG-3 inlong-term storage by the end of the year,awaiting launch in early 2011.

MSG-4

Preparation activities for MSG-4’s thermal-vacuum test and optical-vacuum tests havebeen completed. MSG-4 is now waiting forits test slot at Alcatel Alenia Space in Cannes(F); the thermal-vacuum test is expected tostart by mid-November.

Human Spaceflight,Microgravity &Exploration

HighlightsSpace Shuttle Discovery (STS-121) waslaunched to the ISS on 4 July with ESAastronaut Thomas Reiter aboard. He became

esa bulletin 128 - november 2006www.esa.int 89

In ProgressProgrammes

88 esa bulletin 128 - november 2006 www.esa.int

the third member of the Expedition-13 ISScrew and is carrying out the long-durationAstrolab mission. Also launched, andcommissioned in the US Lab Destiny, wereESA’s European Modular Cultivation System(EMCS), the –80ºC Freezer (MELFI) and thePercutaneous Electrical Muscle Stimulator(PEMS).On 9 September Space Shuttle Atlantis(STS-115) was launched to the ISS, markingthe return to major assembly work on theStation with the installation of the P3/P4truss – the first configuration change for theISS since November 2002.

The Space Station Control Board has madeprogress on the scheduling of the remainingShuttle flights to the ISS, with the Columbuslaunch on flight 1E on 17 October 2007.

Space Infrastructure DevelopmentThe Columbus ground processing Phase-1 atthe Kennedy Space Center was completed,including the integrated leak test whichdemonstrated that the ESA module is theleast susceptible Station module in thisrespect. Columbus is now in storage at theKSC until April 2007.

A European commercial carrier, the Astrium-built ICC-Lite, has been baselined as thepayload bay structure to support the SOLARobservatory and EuTEF facility payloads on

the Columbus launch, saving severalhundred kg of structural mass compared toits US counterpart.

Qualification and acceptance of theColumbus Control Centre is now almostcomplete, following the completion of thereview (Q&AR) with the Board on 21 July.

The ATV Jules Verne spacecraft hardwareand software is stable; acoustic and leaktests were completed and preparation isunder way for the final major environmentaltest, the thermal-vacuum test. The second ofthree functional qualification test campaignshas started on the Flight Simulation Facility(FSF) at Les Mureaux (F), and a number offunctional qualification tests were performed,and some major bilateral interface tests werealso completed. However, some problemsduring functional qualification testing, whichis on the critical path for the programme, arestill being encountered on test platforms,usually caused by equipment front ends, andqualification testing will now continuethrough into early 2007, resulting in a launchdate not earlier than mid-June 2007.

Qualification and acceptance of the ATVControl Centre is almost complete and thecorresponding Q&AR review has started.Operations qualification for the Jules Vernemission is well under way, with many parts

Portable Glovebox has been used for theBIO-2 experiments that were performedduring the Soyuz-13S visiting flight. Duringthat flight, A. Ansari, acting as a short-termmedical test subject, performed severalhuman physiology experiments. Theexperiment programme executed by Russiancosmonaut P. Vinogradov (Increment-13)was successfully concluded.

ISS EducationPreparation of the education programme theChrister Fuglesang STS-116 mission(December 2006) is under way, and filmingof the experiment has been approved byPrincipal Investigator.

The ARISS (Amateur Radio on the ISS) radiocontact with the ISS and Thomas Reiter wasorganised in Patras, Greece on 29 July, withthe participation of the Greek Minister ofEducation. The UTBI experiment (Universityof Valencia) was launched on Soyuz-13S.

of the pre-qualification programmecompleted. The operations productverification review has taken place and theBoard meeting in October gave the go-aheadfor the start of the simulations and trainingprogramme.

The implementation review of the ISSoperations services contract was completedand plans were agreed with industry for thework up to end-2007. This includes theColumbus and Jules Verne launches as wellas the final transition from development tooperations programme.

Node-3 functional testing was completed andmechanical activities, in preparation foracceptance and shipment early next year, areunder way. However, NASA has indicated thatit would like to transfer more activities fromKSC to Europe; negotiations on theseactivities are under way, for which NASA willfund the European prime contractor ofAlcatel Alenia Space in Turin (I).

Roskosmos has announced to the SSCB thatit is planning on a long delay, to end-2009,for the launch of its Multipurpose LaboratoryModule (MLM). This will entail acorresponding delay for the EuropeanRobotic Arm (ERA). Plans are already inplace to store the flight unit, freeze allactivities in Russia and go into team-keepingmode with Dutch Space.

Utilisation Planning, PayloadDevelopments and Preparatory MissionsThe SURE proposals review (32 proposals,four of which are industrial projects) is underway and the peer review of the 49 bedreststudy proposals (15 science disciplines) is inpreparation.

Precursor missions: Maser-11 Phase-A/Bstudies are almost completed and Phase-C/Dwill follow directly. The Phase-C/DTexus-44/45 Request for Quotation isstarting in 2006, with a launch planned forend-2007, and Foton-M3 payloaddevelopment activities are progressing wellfor a launch in September 2007.

Columbus payloads: European Drawer Rack(EDR)/Protein Crystallisation Diagnostics

Facility (PCDF) integration has beenconcluded and Phase-C/D experimentdevelopment for Increment-16 is under way.The deployment of the first experiments forthe Fluid Science Laboratory (FSL) andBiolab, as well as the Flywheel ExerciseDevice, is envisaged for flight 1E, togetherwith the upload on 1E of variousconsumables for human physiologyexperiments.

Destiny payloads: on-orbit recertification ofthe Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) isalmost complete, the Material ScienceLaboratory (MSL) flight model pre-shipreview has started, and development ofANITA, which will be deployed on ATV-1 andaccommodated in an Express rack onDestiny, is approaching completion.

Following launch on STS-121 (ULF-1.1) andcommissioning, MELFI and EMCS aresupporting the scientific programme. The

Thomas Reiter working in the Destiny laboratory, 10 September

Christer Fuglesang preparing for his EVA during Shuttle mission STS-116 in December 2006

MSGMeteosat-8/MSG-1 A reset of the Central Data Management Unit(CDMU) resulted in the satellite entering safemode on 23 September 2006. Although theexact cause is not yet known, it is likely to bea single event upset, as similar situationshave been observed on the Spacebus 3000CDMUs. After nominal reconfiguration, thesatellite became the operational satelliteagain on 10 October 2006. Satellite conditionis nominal and the instrument performanceremains of excellent quality.

Meteosat-9/MSG-2After successful commissioning, MSG-2became the hot standby for Meteosat-8. WithMeteosat-8 entering safe mode on23 September, MSG-2 automatically becamethe operational satellite for the data deliveryuntil the switch back to Meteosat-8 on10 October. The satellite (now renamedMeteosat-9) shows flawless nominaloperations.

MSG-3MSG-3’s flight PROM has been integratedand tested. It is planned to put MSG-3 inlong-term storage by the end of the year,awaiting launch in early 2011.

MSG-4Preparation activities for MSG-4’s thermal-vacuum test and optical-vacuum tests havebeen completed. MSG-4 is now waiting forits test slot at Alcatel Alenia Space in Cannes(F); the thermal-vacuum test is expected tostart by mid-November.

Human Spaceflight,Microgravity &Exploration

HighlightsSpace Shuttle Discovery (STS-121) waslaunched to the ISS on 4 July with ESAastronaut Thomas Reiter aboard. He became

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Development and testing of the CASPERexperiment (University of Dublin) isproceeding, with the launch targeted forProgress-23P.

Astronaut ActivitiesAs part of his mission aboard the ISS,Thomas Reiter performed an EVA of morethan 6 hours with NASA astronaut JeffWilliams. They completed all the preparationactivities for the next ISS truss assembly(installing the motor controller on theradiator joint), deploying the new camera tomonitor the condition of the Shuttle’scarbon-carbon structures, installing twomaterials experiments (MISSE-3 and -4) andperforming additional tasks.

Most Astrolab experiments have been alreadyinitiated by Thomas Reiter and will beperformed repeatedly. More experiments andconsumables were uploaded on Soyuz-13Sand more will follow on Progress-23P.

Although the plans have not yet beenformalised, ESA astronauts Leopold Eyhartsand Frank De Winne have started to train asprime and backup for a mini-increment of2–3 months after the launch of Columbus.They will be followed by a Canadian duringstage 1J/A (with André Kuipers as backup)and then a JAXA astronaut during stage 1J.

Hans Schlegel was selected as acrewmember aboard Columbus/Shuttle flight1E, in addition to Christer Fuglesang (12A.1,December 2006) and Paolo Nespoli (10A,Node-2 flight in August 2007).

The first ESA ATV training was provided tothe Expedition-15 crew in September whenthe Russian prime and backup crewmembersreceived ‘ATV Part 1 Training’ at theEuropean Astronaut Centre (EAC). Some 20weeks of ISS crew training will beimplemented at EAC for Columbus, ATV andpayloads during the next 12 months.

ExplorationFor ExoMars, now in Phase-B1 under AlcatelAlenia Space-Italy as prime contractor, theselection process of the second-levelcontractors has progressed with the issue inearly August of the Invitations to Tender for

the Descent Module Entry, Descent andLanding System (EDLS), Descent ModuleSupport Structure and Rover Egress System(SES) and the Carrier/Orbiter. The Requestfor Quotation for the Rover Vehicle wasreleased. All proposals have been receivedand are being evaluated.

Industrial activities began in early Septemberwith Galileo Avionica for the Drill and theSample Preparation and Distribution system(SPDS) design and breadboard, and withAerosekur for the airbag design andbreadboard. The Planetary Protectionsupport contract kicked-off at end-Augustwith SEA/Open University.

Work has progressed on both the baselinemission, based on a Soyuz launcher andrelying on a NASA telecommunicationsorbiter, and an enhanced option requiring anAriane-5 launch. The latter option wouldallow an independent European mission withits own telecommunications orbiter andwould provide the opportunity for continuingMars Express-type science. A closeexamination was made of the overall projectschedule, which resulted in a criticalassessment of the 2011 launch target, whichwas considered to be very tight. The 2013launch would provide a robust schedule withseveral months’ contingency.

On the payload side, a series of instrumentinterface meetings between ESA, the primecontractor and each Pasteur instrumentteams allowed good progress in the designand definition of the instrument interfaces.An assessment of the Pasteur payload massallocation began in early July and continuedinto August to check whether some of thepayload instrument requests could beaccommodated.

The Geophysics and Environment Package(GEP) status review activities began with afirst meeting in early July and continuedthrough August and September. Furtherinvestigations are ongoing.

A preliminary meeting took place withRoskosmos to discuss potential cooperationin ExoMars. Of particular interest is theprocurement of Radioisotope Heater Units

(RHUs) of the type developed for the RussianMars-96 mission. A follow-up technicalmeeting with BIAPOS, the company thatdeveloped and manufactured these devices,took place in early September withencouraging results. A meeting is foreseen inthe near future to address the possibility ofbroader ESA/Roskosmos cooperation on therover, airbags, parachute design anddevelopment.

Under the Exploration Core programme, theoverall objectives and strategy for2006–2009 were drawn up in line with theprogramme proposal resulting from theBerlin Ministerial Council in December 2005.

For the general exploration technologies andpreparation for lunar exploration, severalactivities are under preparation. Habitationand life-support activities are being proposedfor approval, dealing with furtherdevelopment of Melissa, development of theALISSE advanced life-support systemevaluator, further development of the ARESair-revitalisation system and further definitionof exploration habitation requirements, fornear-term implementation.

System-level studies are being proposed forin situ resource utilisation, better definition ofISS use for exploration and lunar missionanalysis specifically addressing Lagrangeorbits.

The Mars Sample Return Phase-A2 contractkicked off at end-August. Two precursormission definition studies (autonomousrendezvous and soft/precision landing) willbe performed after a first system designrefinement loop.Four tenders for approved planetaryprotection/RHU units/radiation-relatedactivities of the Core programme wereissued; proposals were received and areunder evaluation.

Crew Space Transportation SystemThe Programme Declaration for the CSTSpreparatory programme and a side documentrecording statements by participating Statesand ESA’s Director General in connectionwith subscriptions were finalised on29 September.

Programmes

The earthworks at the SoyuzLaunch Site

The Vega upper composite is prepared for testing in the LargeEuropean Acoustic Facility at ESTEC

is not uniform. Instead, the constructioncompany is building a concrete pillar, 8 m indiameter and 8 m deep, to reach the rockceiling. The impact on the planning is beinganalysed and measures will be taken toregain the time needed for this unforeseenactivity.

The CDR for the Launch System is scheduledfor late October. The next industrial CDR forthe Russian deliveries will be held in threesteps, one for each major industrialistinvolved. The first began in late September,with the other two before the end of the year.

FLPPAn Authorisation To Proceed (ATP) wasawarded to industry in July for the VinciExpander Demonstrator first contract, fundedby FLPP-2. The NGL ELV and Building Blockssystem concept studies began after nationalagencies agreed on the Launcher SystemWorkshop conclusions. The first set ofindustrial activities for the IntermediateeXperimental Vehicle (IXV) was completed.The second set began, while IXV activities tobe funded by FLPP-2 are upcoming, with theStatement of Work being finalised.

For the consolidated FLPP contract withNGL, all technical and contractualclarifications were received and contractsignature is planned in October. Pendingfinalisation of negotiations, industrialactivities were launched by ATP. e

ESA and Roskosmos are discussing anexchange of letters that will establish theformal basis for conducting the preparatoryprogramme as a cooperative undertaking. Afully-fledged agreement in accordance withthe requirements of both agencies will beworked out and signed at a later stage. Inparallel, the two parties will discuss and putin place the necessary measures to launchprogramme activities at both Agency andindustrial level.

The ESA procurement process for industrialactivities is being launched so that a contractcan be awarded to industry as soon aspossible.

VegaThe qualification test campaign for thelauncher’s upper composite started at thebeginning of August in the ESTEC TestCentre. In September, it passed its vibrationtests mounted on a shaker while some 400accelerometers and 40 strain gaugesmeasured the movements and deformationof the structure. Acoustic tests are scheduledfor mid-October.

The qualification test ofthe Zefiro-23 forwardskirt was successful on22 September. The testplan at the componentlevel to characterise theskirt mechanicalcharacteristics is underway.

The Zefiro-9 performance recovery plan wasconcluded. A slight modification of thepropellant formulation and an increase in theexpansion ratio were proposed. Themodifications were reviewed in the Zefiro-9CDR that began in September.

The composite structure for the P80Demonstration Model firing test arrived inFrench Guiana during July, and the propellantcasting was successful in August. Integrationof the nozzle, igniters and sensors isproceeding according to schedule. The firstfiring test is planned for end-November.

Soyuz at CSGThe construction site has changedconsiderably in the past few months.Temporary facilities such as offices, changingrooms and catering facilities, were erectedaround the site. The stone crusher waserected and put to work, allowing the rockdebris from the flame chute excavation to beused elsewhere. The foundations of theLaunch Operation Centre and for the air-conditioning facility were laid. Hoistingequipment is being installed around thebuilding construction sites.

The excavation of the flame chute isproceeding at a good pace, althoughproblems have been encountered. It wasdiscovered that the rock layer where thepillars of the launch table would have rested

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In Progress

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Development and testing of the CASPERexperiment (University of Dublin) isproceeding, with the launch targeted forProgress-23P.

Astronaut ActivitiesAs part of his mission aboard the ISS,Thomas Reiter performed an EVA of morethan 6 hours with NASA astronaut JeffWilliams. They completed all the preparationactivities for the next ISS truss assembly(installing the motor controller on theradiator joint), deploying the new camera tomonitor the condition of the Shuttle’scarbon-carbon structures, installing twomaterials experiments (MISSE-3 and -4) andperforming additional tasks.

Most Astrolab experiments have been alreadyinitiated by Thomas Reiter and will beperformed repeatedly. More experiments andconsumables were uploaded on Soyuz-13Sand more will follow on Progress-23P.

Although the plans have not yet beenformalised, ESA astronauts Leopold Eyhartsand Frank De Winne have started to train asprime and backup for a mini-increment of2–3 months after the launch of Columbus.They will be followed by a Canadian duringstage 1J/A (with André Kuipers as backup)and then a JAXA astronaut during stage 1J.

Hans Schlegel was selected as acrewmember aboard Columbus/Shuttle flight1E, in addition to Christer Fuglesang (12A.1,December 2006) and Paolo Nespoli (10A,Node-2 flight in August 2007).

The first ESA ATV training was provided tothe Expedition-15 crew in September whenthe Russian prime and backup crewmembersreceived ‘ATV Part 1 Training’ at theEuropean Astronaut Centre (EAC). Some 20weeks of ISS crew training will beimplemented at EAC for Columbus, ATV andpayloads during the next 12 months.

ExplorationFor ExoMars, now in Phase-B1 under AlcatelAlenia Space-Italy as prime contractor, theselection process of the second-levelcontractors has progressed with the issue inearly August of the Invitations to Tender for

the Descent Module Entry, Descent andLanding System (EDLS), Descent ModuleSupport Structure and Rover Egress System(SES) and the Carrier/Orbiter. The Requestfor Quotation for the Rover Vehicle wasreleased. All proposals have been receivedand are being evaluated.

Industrial activities began in early Septemberwith Galileo Avionica for the Drill and theSample Preparation and Distribution system(SPDS) design and breadboard, and withAerosekur for the airbag design andbreadboard. The Planetary Protectionsupport contract kicked-off at end-Augustwith SEA/Open University.

Work has progressed on both the baselinemission, based on a Soyuz launcher andrelying on a NASA telecommunicationsorbiter, and an enhanced option requiring anAriane-5 launch. The latter option wouldallow an independent European mission withits own telecommunications orbiter andwould provide the opportunity for continuingMars Express-type science. A closeexamination was made of the overall projectschedule, which resulted in a criticalassessment of the 2011 launch target, whichwas considered to be very tight. The 2013launch would provide a robust schedule withseveral months’ contingency.

On the payload side, a series of instrumentinterface meetings between ESA, the primecontractor and each Pasteur instrumentteams allowed good progress in the designand definition of the instrument interfaces.An assessment of the Pasteur payload massallocation began in early July and continuedinto August to check whether some of thepayload instrument requests could beaccommodated.

The Geophysics and Environment Package(GEP) status review activities began with afirst meeting in early July and continuedthrough August and September. Furtherinvestigations are ongoing.

A preliminary meeting took place withRoskosmos to discuss potential cooperationin ExoMars. Of particular interest is theprocurement of Radioisotope Heater Units

(RHUs) of the type developed for the RussianMars-96 mission. A follow-up technicalmeeting with BIAPOS, the company thatdeveloped and manufactured these devices,took place in early September withencouraging results. A meeting is foreseen inthe near future to address the possibility ofbroader ESA/Roskosmos cooperation on therover, airbags, parachute design anddevelopment.

Under the Exploration Core programme, theoverall objectives and strategy for2006–2009 were drawn up in line with theprogramme proposal resulting from theBerlin Ministerial Council in December 2005.

For the general exploration technologies andpreparation for lunar exploration, severalactivities are under preparation. Habitationand life-support activities are being proposedfor approval, dealing with furtherdevelopment of Melissa, development of theALISSE advanced life-support systemevaluator, further development of the ARESair-revitalisation system and further definitionof exploration habitation requirements, fornear-term implementation.

System-level studies are being proposed forin situ resource utilisation, better definition ofISS use for exploration and lunar missionanalysis specifically addressing Lagrangeorbits.

The Mars Sample Return Phase-A2 contractkicked off at end-August. Two precursormission definition studies (autonomousrendezvous and soft/precision landing) willbe performed after a first system designrefinement loop.Four tenders for approved planetaryprotection/RHU units/radiation-relatedactivities of the Core programme wereissued; proposals were received and areunder evaluation.

Crew Space Transportation SystemThe Programme Declaration for the CSTSpreparatory programme and a side documentrecording statements by participating Statesand ESA’s Director General in connectionwith subscriptions were finalised on29 September.

Programmes

The earthworks at the SoyuzLaunch Site

The Vega upper composite is prepared for testing in the LargeEuropean Acoustic Facility at ESTEC

is not uniform. Instead, the constructioncompany is building a concrete pillar, 8 m indiameter and 8 m deep, to reach the rockceiling. The impact on the planning is beinganalysed and measures will be taken toregain the time needed for this unforeseenactivity.

The CDR for the Launch System is scheduledfor late October. The next industrial CDR forthe Russian deliveries will be held in threesteps, one for each major industrialistinvolved. The first began in late September,with the other two before the end of the year.

FLPPAn Authorisation To Proceed (ATP) wasawarded to industry in July for the VinciExpander Demonstrator first contract, fundedby FLPP-2. The NGL ELV and Building Blockssystem concept studies began after nationalagencies agreed on the Launcher SystemWorkshop conclusions. The first set ofindustrial activities for the IntermediateeXperimental Vehicle (IXV) was completed.The second set began, while IXV activities tobe funded by FLPP-2 are upcoming, with theStatement of Work being finalised.

For the consolidated FLPP contract withNGL, all technical and contractualclarifications were received and contractsignature is planned in October. Pendingfinalisation of negotiations, industrialactivities were launched by ATP. e

ESA and Roskosmos are discussing anexchange of letters that will establish theformal basis for conducting the preparatoryprogramme as a cooperative undertaking. Afully-fledged agreement in accordance withthe requirements of both agencies will beworked out and signed at a later stage. Inparallel, the two parties will discuss and putin place the necessary measures to launchprogramme activities at both Agency andindustrial level.

The ESA procurement process for industrialactivities is being launched so that a contractcan be awarded to industry as soon aspossible.

VegaThe qualification test campaign for thelauncher’s upper composite started at thebeginning of August in the ESTEC TestCentre. In September, it passed its vibrationtests mounted on a shaker while some 400accelerometers and 40 strain gaugesmeasured the movements and deformationof the structure. Acoustic tests are scheduledfor mid-October.

The qualification test ofthe Zefiro-23 forwardskirt was successful on22 September. The testplan at the componentlevel to characterise theskirt mechanicalcharacteristics is underway.

The Zefiro-9 performance recovery plan wasconcluded. A slight modification of thepropellant formulation and an increase in theexpansion ratio were proposed. Themodifications were reviewed in the Zefiro-9CDR that began in September.

The composite structure for the P80Demonstration Model firing test arrived inFrench Guiana during July, and the propellantcasting was successful in August. Integrationof the nozzle, igniters and sensors isproceeding according to schedule. The firstfiring test is planned for end-November.

Soyuz at CSGThe construction site has changedconsiderably in the past few months.Temporary facilities such as offices, changingrooms and catering facilities, were erectedaround the site. The stone crusher waserected and put to work, allowing the rockdebris from the flame chute excavation to beused elsewhere. The foundations of theLaunch Operation Centre and for the air-conditioning facility were laid. Hoistingequipment is being installed around thebuilding construction sites.

The excavation of the flame chute isproceeding at a good pace, althoughproblems have been encountered. It wasdiscovered that the rock layer where thepillars of the launch table would have rested

BP128 11/9/06 4:39 PM Page 90