On 1 July 1997, Antonio Rodotá, an Italian, became the new Director General of the European Space Agency. Appointed for a period of four years, he will lead ESA in the 21st century.
WELCOME
Letter from the Director General
As the new Director General of ESA, I look forward to the
challenge of working for European space. Coming from industry,
where I have spent all my professional career so far, I now have
to adapt to new ways of doing things, but at the same time I
would like to bring to ESA some of the experience and ways which
work well in the industrial world.
Continuity and change are the two words that will characterize my mandate at ESA. Two words that appear to be in antithesis but that coexist in my vocabulary. ESA will continue being at the leading edge of European space activities. Stimulating science, engineering and industry, it will continue to be the cement that binds national space aspirations and develops space programmes that can be only done through cooperation. ESA has been doing so for the past 25 years and has proven to be a good example of international co-operation. At the same time, some change is needed to be able to do more and perform better.
Continuity in Space Science
ESA has a successful and enviable space science programme: Giotto
and its encounters with comets, Hipparcos which
has pinpointed over 1.000.000 stars with extreme precision,
our participation in the Hubble Space Telescope
with the Faint Object Camera and the solar arrays, Ulysses which
for the first time ever explored the poles of the Sun. And more
recently, the great success of ISO with its
infrared eye, and SOHO working flawlessly observing
the Sun. In October we will launch the Huygens space probe,
jointly with NASA, in the framework of the Cassini/Huygens
mission bound to the planet Saturn and its largest moon
And in the future? Space Science programmes will
continue with even more stamina. A new plan for doing more
science with less financial resources is under evaluation. It
aims at achieving efficiency and savings making the utmost use of
advanced technologies and of common platforms for different
spacecraft. Also the shortening of the selection and development
cycles of the various missions will be key elements of this new
approach.
Continuity in Earth Observation and
Telecommunications
ESA has provided Europe with a remarkable family of
meteorological satellites: the Meteosat family.
And, thanks to Eumetsat, the story continues: Meteosat
7 (technically known as the Meteosat Transition Programme
satellite) will be launched by Ariane this summer, while the Meteosat
Second Generation, with even greater performance and
accuracy in weather forecasting, is on schedule for an October
2000 launch.
ESA will also continue to play a major role in Earth observation and resource monitoring building on the experience gained with its ERS-1 and ERS-2 spacecraft. With its "radar eye" ERS can see day and night and in all weather conditions. Its instruments help us to take better care of our planet monitoring oceans, coastal areas, forests, and help in prediction of natural events such as floods and earthquakes. ERS-2 will be operational until the new generation of environmental satellite is ready: the preparation of the Polar Platform/Envisat spacecraft is progressing in line with a launch in mid-1999.
Today, ESA is working in close cooperation with representatives of the main Earth Observation European actors, such as the European Commission, Eumetsat, users, and industry, to prepare a proposal for a strategy for the future ESA's Earth Observation programme.
Back in the 1970s, ESA invented the reference technology of the 1980s: the three-axis-stabilized Ku-band telecommunications satellite that started with OTS and Marecs and continued with the ECS family - which is the backbone of the Eutelsat system- and on to Olympus. Today, ESA continues to explore the technologies of the future: mobile communications, satellite navigation and inter-satellite links. Artemis (Advanced Relay and Technology Mission Satellite) is the brightest example of telecommunications satellites for the years 2000 to be launched on a Japanese H2-IIA launcher - in the year 2000- in the framework of a cooperation agreement with the Japanese Space Agency, NASDA.
Multimedia present one of the greatest market opportunities for European satellite industry and operators. ESA is taking steps in the promotion of a multimedia initiative in parallel and in cooperation with the European Commission. In the field of satellite Navigation, ESA is also closely involved with the Commission and Eurocontrol in the development of a European satellite navigation system that will complement the existing GPS and Glonass systems.
Continuity in launchers
ESA funded the development of the Ariane series of
rockets giving Europe full autonomy in space launchers. The first
Ariane flew in 1979 and since then we have come a very long
way: more than 95 Arianes have followed and some 170 satellites
have been placed into orbit. Now Ariane lifts-off from the Guiana
Space Centre, the European Spaceport in Kourou, French
Guiana, practically once a month. We are ready to mark end of
September the 100th Ariane flight. Arianespace has done a
remarkable job in procuring and marketing the European launcher
and the European Spaceport in French Guiana is one of the
most outstanding, high-performance and enviable
launch sites in the world.
Unfortunately, we cannot forget that, in the history of the
Ariane family, there have been a few accidents. The most striking
one was one year ago. It still "burns" in our hearts
and minds...
It was a great set back for European and non-European scientists
alike with the loss of the Cluster mission. It was a terrible
stroke for ESA, the French space agency CNES and
the European industry but it has not brought us to
our knees. We have risen to the challenge.
Ariane 5 is a major milestone for Europe and I would like to insist on the need for Europe to continue to maintain its autonomous means of access to space. We have learned a hard lesson from the failure of the first test flight and all the actors, with industry at the forefront, are working hard to ensure that Ariane 5 will be fully qualified with its second and third test flights. We owe it to all Europeans.
The launch campaign for Ariane 502 started on 16 June: Preparations for the second test flight are well under way at the Guiana Space Centre. Launch is scheduled to take place as of the end of September this year.
Continuity in manned spaceflight and
microgravity
In the fields of human spaceflight and microgravity, ESA
has contributed to the US Space Shuttle programme with Spacelab,
a laboratory in space to perform research in life and materials
sciences. First through Spacelab, and more recently through joint
missions on Mir with Russia (the 30-day Euromir 94
and the 180- day Euromir 95), not only European
astronauts but also European scientists and researchers have
gained access to space.
ESA is now getting ready for a new challenge: the International Space Station It is developing the Columbus Orbital Facility, a pressurised laboratory that will be permanently attached to the core of the Space Station, and building the Automated Transfer Vehicle which will be launched by Ariane 5. Studies for a Crew Rescue/Crew Transfer Vehicle are also under way.
Let's now talk about change
Change in internal structure
Change has recently started within the Agency. My predecessor, Jean-Marie
Luton, has reviewed the support activities in the Agency
(administrative, technical, operational) and has begun to
reinforce the relations with industry. In parallel, the
Agency is strengthening its activities in R&D.
Change in industrial policy and relations with industry
The new approach to industrial return decided by the ministers
of ESA member states earlier this year
introduces more flexibility into financial
contributions to ESA programmes and allows ESA to take advantage
of competition between industrial suppliers, while
maintaining a fair distribution of returns.
European Industry needs ESA as much as ESA needs the European industry. The two need to listen to each other and improve their relations. Both ESA and industry have to do better with less and we want to prove that this can be done. We all want more value for money. And to take a step forward in this direction, user communities and industry should be more involved into ESA programmes even by co-financing some of them.
Change in overall and internal efficiency
A complex international organisation like ESA, that lives
and functions with staff from 14 different countries, is already
performing rather well. But more can be done. For example,
by looking more closely at Industry and its method of work,
we can still improve efficiency.
Just like any company that has to continuously cope with
performance and competition at all levels to survive and earn a
profit, cannot do without an optimal organisation, the Agency -
which is above all a public organism for research and
improvement- needs to have an organisational structure that
performs extremely well.
Change in public awareness
In spite of the strong communication efforts in recent years,
within the general public and among policy makers, ESA is not
well enough known. It's only with the support of the public
that space programmes can continue to thrive.
We shall also strengthen our action in space education for youngsters, the users and decision makers of the future. The next generations need to have something to "dream about" just as my generation dreamt about space pioneers and the conquest of the Moon...
By surfing the ESA pages on the World Wide Web, you will have a deeper and better view of what this international organisation does for Europe and Space. Welcome to ESA on-line!
Antonio Rodotá
ESA Director General
July 1997
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