Annual Report 2012 - NSD · Report of the Board 2 Ex tr acof nul s for 201 8 Pictorial review of 2012 9 Organization of the Norwegian Space Centre I ide back c e Contents The Norwegian

Annual Report 2012

P.O. Box 113 SkøyenNO-0212 Oslo, NorwayTelephone: +47 22 51 18 00Telefax: +47 22 51 18 01www.spacecentre.no

For further information, please contact The Norwegian Space Centre Corporate Communications and Education:Marianne Moen, Deputy Director General, or Ann-Lisbeth Ruud, Senior Executive Officer

NSC Report(2013)7ISBN 978-82-7542-103-4Oslo, October 2013

Layout: Pål Nordberg, Grafisk Design

Printed by: Kraft Digitalprint AS

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Board

Edel Storelvmo, ChairmanKjetil Storaas Hansen, Vice ChairmanMarian Nymark MelleMats CarlssonKirsti Lovise Slotsvik

Deputy members:Kari NygaardFrode Berge

Management

Bo Nyborg Andersen,Managing Director

2

Management 2012

Trainees

Director General

B. Andersen

Finance and

Administration

K. E. Myrvang

E. F. Amundsen

E. Stange Heikvam

S. Thoresen

E. T. Vego

Corporate

Communications

and Education

M. Moen

A.-L. Ruud

C. Aasen

Space andEarth Sciences

T. Wahl

Space Science

and Space StationP. Brekke

M.V. Tantillo

IndustryG. Hovmork

(Deputy Director)

Industrial

CoordinationR. Eriksen

B. O. Elseth

Space

TransportationG. Hovmork

SatelliteCommunications

O. GangåsR. Sandbakken

S. H. Torvet

Telecommunications and Navigation

J. Rønneberg

Andøya Rakettskytefelt AS

O. R. Enoksen

90% Government

Norsk Romsenter Eiendom AS

K. E. Myrvang

100% Government

Kongsberg

Satellite Services AS

R. Skatteboe

50% Norsk Romsenter

Eiendom AS

Satellite

NavigationL. Giske

B. Hansen

J. Heier

K. Moldeklev

S. Thomsen

E. Uribarri

K.A. Aarmo

Earth ObservationE-A. Herland

D.A. Moldestad

P.E. Skrøvseth

G. Dahle Strøm

ProjectsF. Udnæs

V.L. Barth

E.M. Hagen

B. Johansen

L. Løge

M. Ytrehus Moldestad

M. Osmundsen

M. Aakre

Organization of the Norwegian Space Centre as per 1. september 2013

Edel Storelvmo Bo Nyborg Andersen

In accordance with governmental guidelines and in co-operation with and tobenefit Norwegian industry, research, public-sector bodies and Norwegianinterest in general, the objectives of the Norwegian Space Centre are to:

l promote the development and coordination of Norwegian space activities,

l co-ordinate the Ministerial interests and needs within space activities,

l prepare proposals for integrated long-term programmes for Norwegianspace activities and submit these to the Ministry of Trade and Industry,

l manage Norwegian Space Centre resources and efficiently distributefunding from the Norwegian State and other sources,

l mind Norwegian interests in liaison with space sector organizations inother countries as well as international organizations and contribute tocoordinating Norwegian space activities with those elsewhere,

l manage State holdings in space-related companies in the private sector,

l facilitate the meeting of user needs in the space sector.

ObjectivesFrom the Director 1

Report of the Board 2

Extract of annual accounts for 2012 8

Pictorial review of 2012 9

Organization of the Norwegian Space Centre

Inside back cover

Contents

The Norwegian Space Centre (NSC) is a government agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. NSC was established in 1987, when Norway became a memberof the European Space Agency (ESA).

NSC is responsible for organizing Norwegian space activi-ties, particularly with respect to ESA and the EU, and forcoordinating national space activities. See Objectives boxbelow for further information.

NSC manages governmental interests in the Andøya RocketRange (90%) and in Norwegian Space Centre Properties(100%), which in turn owns 50% of Kongsberg SatelliteServices AS.

In 2013, the total budget was NOK 751 million, and theNSC had 38 employees.

Facts about the Norwegian Space Centre

Norwegian Space Centre 2012

The year 2012 was memorable for theNorwegian Space Centre (NSC) inparticular and for the country's spaceactivities in general. There were twonotable events. The Ministry of Tradeand Industry (NHD) assigned the PwCconsultancy to evaluate Norwegianparticipation in the European SpaceAgency and the national supportschemes. In addition, prolongedpreparations for the ESA Councilmeeting at ministerial level inNovember in Naples marked the year.

Evaluation

The PwC evaluation was on the wholepositive within the sectors evaluated.Particular mention was made of NSC’sability to bring about synergy betweenESA-related industrial incentives and thenational support schemes.PwC was amazed by the extent of

Norwegian space activities and estimatedthat they comprised nearly 2% of worldspace effort. This is comparable with theglobal market shares for Norwegianaquaculture and oil and gas production.

NSC believes that the PwC figures are abit high but agrees that they underscorethe importance of space activities inNorway.The PwC evaluation was a key starting

point when NHD began preparing a newWhite Paper in late 2012.

Meeting at ministerial level

From its establishment as a foundationin 1987, NSC has maintained thatNorway’s participation in ESAprogrammes should be commensuratewith the country’s relative Net NationalIncome (NNI). Supported by theMinistry of Trade and Industry, thatgoal was attained through participationin new programmes declared during theESA Council meeting at ministeriallevel in Naples.Norway now is the seventh largest

contributor to new ESA programmes.That’s the same as the rank of theNorwegian economy among ESAmember countries.The ESA commitment is essential for

our being able to focus on sectors thatcontribute to the development of

products in niches in which Norwegianfirms are competitive, such as satellitecommunication. In addition to thecomposite long-term tasks associatedwith participation in the EU Galileoand Copernicus programmes, there’sbeen a broad, national commitment ininternally and externally financedprogrammes. NSC established a projectdepartment to ensure capable directionof the relevant activities, includingtasks associated with tropical forests,the Svalbard Integrated EarthObservation System (SIOS), smallsatellites and Arctic communications.Throughout the year we continued

development of the AISSat-2 maritimesatellite. We also initiated activities toacquire a larger platform (NorSat) fortesting new technologies in space.All in all, 2012 was a rewarding year

for the Norwegian Space Centre. Manypartial goals were attained and newgoals were identified. We ascribe oursuccess to political acceptance of ourinitiatives and to the dedication of ourstaff.

1

Norwegian Space Centre, 26 August 2013

Bo Andersen

From the Director

ESA–S. Corvaja, 2012

Some years stand out above others. ForNorwegian space activities, 2012 wasone such year, in which:• Norway committed NOK 1.1 billionat the ESA Council meeting atministerial level.

• Norwegian space programmes wereevaluated.

• Norway celebrated the 50thanniversary of its being a spacenation.

The ESA Council meeting at ministeriallevel is the leading forum for Europeanspace activities. In November, theNorwegian Space Centre supported theMinistry of Trade and Industry (NHD)at the ministerial meeting in Naples.The outcome was that Norway com-mitted up to NOK 1.1 billion to ESAoptional programmes in the years tocome. The financial commitment iscommensurate with the ranking of theNorwegian economy among ESAcountries.PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

evaluated Norwegian space program-mes on assignment from NHD. Thecontribution of the programmes toenvironmental and national security areconsiderable and long lasting, but theeffects on growth and value creation areless obvious.HM King Harald and Trade and

Industry Minister Trond Giske wereamong the honoured gusts at thenational celabration of the country's50th anniversary as a space nation heldat the Andøya Rocket Range.

50th anniversary

- “Sometimes one millimetre isenough", as sung by Norwegian singerAnne Grete Preus. For the firstNorwegian sounding rocket launch, itwas a bit more, in fact three kilometres.The Ferdinand 1 rocket launched 18August 1962 from the Andøya RocketRange attained an altitude of 103 km.Outer space is said to start at an altitudeof 100 km. In other words, Ferdinand 1went high enough to make Norway aspace nation. Three kilometres wasenough.Few then could have envisioned that

50 years later Norway would be a space

nation with 1000 people in space-related jobs and with a respectableshare of the world space sector, or thatsatellite data would be basic in every-day activities, from weather forecasts tofisheries monitoring. So the 50thanniversary celebration at the AndøyaRocket Range was well attended. Itsprogramme included a research sym-posium, a science conference, an artexhibition, a concert, a press seminarand public lectures. HM King Haraldattended on 18 August, the anniversaryday, which put the event on the nationalagenda. He also laid the foundationstone for the Aurora Activity Centrethat will feature simulated virtualmissions through the aurora out intospace.More than 1500 spectators were

drawn to the Space Circus galaperformance in a large circus tent next door to the Rocket Range controltower. Singers Sivert Høyem and TonjeUnstad, children from Andøya andastronaut Christer Fuglesang enlivenedthe Norwegian space odyssey.

A useful tool

Even though Norway initiated spaceactivities by launching a soundingrocket that acquired data on the aurora,research is not what has made thecountry a significant actor in space. The impetus has rather been the needfor practical responses to the challengesinvolved in managing the large seaareas for which Norway is responsible.Safe navigation, effective communica-tions and relevant Earth observationsare essential. Only an infrastructure inspace can meet these needs. Norwayhas therefore focused on acquisition ofsatellite data for more efficient manage-ment.While data flows from satellites

have been important in management,know-ledge and safety, the effects of

contribu-ting to the building ofsatellites and space probes havetriggered industrial development andthe building up of high-tech expertise.In research, access to data from spaceprobes and satellites has enabledNorwegian scientists to contributesignificantly in fields such as Sun-Earthinteractions and cosmology.In 2012, NSC managed NOK 497

million contributions to ESA, dividedNOK 141 million in membership andNOK 356 million in optional program-mes. Moreover, Norway contributedNOK 103.5 million via the NSC budgetto the development of Galileo in the EU.The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

consultancy evaluated the 2012Norwegian space programmes onassignment from the Ministry of Tradeand Industry. The principal PwCfinding was that the contributions of theprogrammes to environmental andnational safety were considerable andlong-lasting. PwC found tangibleresults in value creation, but theirnature and effects on long-term growthare unclear. The Board believes that it’simportant to take part in the strategicdiscussion that the report initiated.

European options in space

International cooperation is essentialfor Norway to have access to the dataflow from space. It costs billions tobuild satellites. So for most countries,cooperation across borders is imperative.For Norway, membership in the

European Space Agency (ESA) is themost important tool for optimizingspace investment cost-benefit. Themain reason for Norway becoming anESA member in 1987 was to realizeindustrial spinoff effects and publicutility.The 20 ESA member countries meet

every three to four years to agree on theprogrammes to pursue in the years to

2


Vision for Norwegian space activities

Norway shall be the country that benefits most from space.

3

come. In November the scene was setfor the Council meeting at ministeriallevel and exacting discussions in Naples.Even though economies in Europe arenot at their best, the member countriesmanaged to agree on the course ahead.Despite troubled economies in manycountries, the delegates were willing tocommit to new programmes for a totalof €6.1 million.There was full support of the program-

mes for the next generation of meteoro-logical satellites, but many of theoptional programmes were not as wellsupported as ESA had hoped.The greatest challenges in Naples

were in space transport. Agreement wasreached on the development of Ariane 6in parallel with the completion of theupgraded version of Ariane 5.In addition to taking part in the optional

programmes, all member countries paymandatory dues to support the scientificprogramme and the operation of ESA.The agreements reached in Napoliapply for 2013 onward.The Norwegian Space Centre support-

ed the Ministry of Trade and Industry innegotiations at the meeting in Naples.

Norway committed NOK 1.1 billion to the ESA optional programmes. Thefunds will be disbursed over severalyears and are allocated to programmesthat Norway views as advantageous forits industries, administration and research.The Board regards the commitment asan indication that the Governmentrealizes the necessity of continuedpublic involvement in the economy ofthe Norwegian space sector.

International cooperation

A small space nation such as Norwaymust arrange cooperation with severalESA member countries. Svalbard is afavourable basis for bilateral agreementbecause the archipelago is one of thebest places in the world for down-loading data from and controllingsatellites in polar orbits. During thesummer NSC entered a major contractwith NASA for SvalSat to be a keystation for the next generation ofAmerican meteorological satellites.Kongsberg Satellite Services AS(KSAT) is responsible for the technicalcooperation with NASA.Norwegian-Japanese cooperation was

strengthened in Earth observation andspace research. The successful launchof Shizuku, the Japanese environmentaland climate satellite, was significant inthe cooperation, as it will download toNorwegian ground stations. Cooperationin ground stations and the data centrefor Hinode, the Japanese solar satellite,functions smoothly, and scientists inmore than 37 countries use the datacentre. Official bilateral meetings wereheld in space weather and auroraresearch, including during NorwegianPrime Minister Stoltenberg’s visit inJapan.NSC continued to provide administra-

tive support for Norwegian researchcommunities in forest monitoring fortheir contributions to implementing anational forest monitoring and reportingservice in Tanzania.An official Norwegian delegation

visited South Africa in connection withthe opening of the new KSAT groundstation there. The NSC ManagingDirector and the Director General of theNorwegian Coastal Administration metwith South African colleagues todiscuss sea monitoring.


Norway participates in international space activities through membership in the European Space Agency (ESA), the EU space programmeand bilateral agreements.

4

Support schemes

NSC manages the national supportschemes. The funding is vital inenabling Norwegian actors to positionthemselves better for national andinternational space deliveries. Earlysupport in development processes hasenabled several Norwegian spacecommunities to become world leadersin their niches.Appropriations for national support

schemes in 2012 totalled NOK 42.1million. Together with unused fundsfrom previous years, a total of NOK46.3 million was disbursed. These fundsare used for technology transfer tostrengthen the positions of Norwegianactors in global markets and to developNorwegian user communities, principal-ly in Earth observation.NOK 6 million were earmarked for

AIS and NOK 6 million wereearmarked for the Andøya RocketRange in accordance with the letter ofaward. Of the remaining NOK 34.3million, NOK 22.9 million wasallocated to industrial development,NOK 9.3 million to services develop-ment and NOK 2.1 million to scientificand educational developments. In all,28 companies and organizationsreceived national support schemesupport via 40 contracts.

Spinoff effects

Since the 1990s, the spinoff-factor hasbeen used to measure the effect ofgovernmental funding on spaceactivities. The factor is the ratio of theadditional turnover achieved by spacesector companies to the funding they

receive from the support programme orESA contracts.In recent years, the Norwegian

approach to assessing spinoff effectshas attracted interest abroad, andcountries such as Denmark have adoptedits methodology. The spinoff effectreport has been cited in OECD reports.PwC tested the method in its evaluationand has verified its methodo-logy.However, PwC pointed out that longtimelines (from 1985 on) can masknewer changes in recent years. NSC ransimulations from 2004 on when it wasreorganized from a foundation to agovernmental agency. The simulationsproduced high factors that reflect thepositive trends in industries that havebeen supported via ESA or nationalsupport schemes in recent years. In

turn, this showed that the space industryhas made good use of the increasedgovernmental commitment to spacefrom 2005 on.The spinoff factor rose from slightly

less than 3.5 in 1997 to 4.8 in 2012.This means that for each NOK ofgovernmental funding from the nationalsupport scheme or the ESA, the com-panies attained additional turnover ofnearly five NOK. A simulation of thespinoff factor for 2004 on fixes it atslightly more than 7. The Board believesthat this proves that governmentalcommitment in space activities isprofitable and leads to industrialdevelopment and workplaces. More-over, the Board emphasizes that furthergrowth depends on increased commit-ment, both public and private.

Space industry

Space industry is a vital business sectorin the country. In 2012, the turnover ofNorwegian-produced goods and servicesin the space sector was estimated atNOK 6.4 billion.Kongsberg Norspace is still the

leading Norwegian industrial companyin the space segments of satellitesystems, with a staff of 100 and anannual turnover of about NOK 150million. The company develops andproduces filters, frequency convertersand other devices used in optimizing


The spinoff factor is a measure of the effect of Norwegian space commitment through ESAand national support schemes. The figures are based on information provided by 28companies and institutes in Norway. In 2012 the spinoff factor was 4.8.

The National Support Scheme strengthens Norwegian actors so they are better positioned tocompete for national and international contracts. In 2012, NOK 42.1 million was disbursed.

5

signals communicated via satellites. Itsdevelopments have been successful andhave led to many new contracts withESA, from the EU Galileo programmeand from Space Systems/Loral andother private sector actors. Supply tothe satellite space segment is demand-ing because the market is small and thetechnical developments of relevantcompetitors are supported by nationalor regional organizations.Turnover in satellite communications

has traditionally accounted for thegreater part of income in the Norwegianspace economy. There are manyexamples of successful businessdevelopments in satellite communi-cations. Telenor’s current position canbe ascribed to its predecessor, theNorwegian TelecommunicationsAuthority, being early involved insatellite communications in theInmarsat system in the 1970s. Later theinvolvement was expanded to includesatellite broadcasting and broadband toships.Ship Equip in Ålesund is another

example. The company specializes inbroadband to fishing vessels, offshoreand shipping. A strong market positionled to the company being sold toInmarsat for NOK 900 million. Like-wise, Vizada Norge was bought by

Astrium Services (EADS). These salesshow that Norwegian space sectorcompanies possess coveted expertiseand have significant market shares thatmake them attractive. However, forNSC, which supports industrial build-up through the national support schemeand participation in ESA, this is a two-edged sword. Investments in the spaceeconomy are so successful thatcompanies are acquired by globalconcerns that in turn may moveproduction to lower-cost countries.In recent years, NSC has been

involved in transferring technologiesfrom ground bases to space systems. In2012 this entailed contact with theNorwegian Centres of Expertise andother business groups and innovationentities. NSC also is on the Board of theSpace&Energy network that arranged aseminar during the TransatlanticScience Week in Houston, during whichnew contacts were made with NASA.

The International Space Station and

space transport

The International Space Station wasoperational throughout 2012. The UserSupport Centre at the NorwegianUniversity of Science and Technologyhas had major assignments from ESA inconducting multinational experiments

on the Space Station. The NorwegianAIS instrument on the Space Stationcontinued to supply data, both to helpcombat piracy in the Gulf of Aden andto aid technical studies of the envisionednext generation of AIS systems. Theuse of the Analysing Interferometer forAmbient Air (ANITA) instrument onboard the Space Station has createdfurther activity for SINTEF.In 2012 there were seven successful

Ariane 5 launches of 11 large communi-cations satellites and one meteorologicalsatellite. In addition, an automatedtransfer vehicle (ATV) carried cargo tothe Space Station. To date, this was thegreatest number of Ariane 5 launches ina single year. Norwegian companieshave steady production runs for Ariane5. In 2012, the first smaller Vega launchvehicle was launched from Kourou.

Satellite communications

Norwegian space sector companies arewell advanced in the uses andcommercial exploitation of satellitecommunications. Service and operatoractivities account for the greater part ofannual turnover.Telenor Satellite Broadcasting, owner

of the Thor satellites, has recentlyenjoyed a significant upswing and nowhas an annual turnover of around NOK1 billion. The newest satellite, Thor 7,is being built and is scheduled to beoperational in the summer of 2014. Itwill be orbited by an Ariane 5, thelaunch vehicle for which Norwegiancompanies deliver technologies formillions of NOK for each launch.Jotron SatCom AS is an example of a

newly-started company that in 2012merged into Jotron AS and thereby wasintegrated into the main company. Thecompany inaugurated a new industrybuilding at Skoppum in Vestfoldcountry, in which satellite communi-cations products have dedicatedpremises for assembly and test. Jotronhas its first antenna in production andon the market and also is furtherdeveloping its product portfolio inbroadband maritime communications.Through the ESA ARTES programme,they have started development ofsmaller antennas for higher frequency


Turnover of Norwegian-produced goods and services from 1997 to 2012, with thecompanies' forecasts up to 2016. The total space sector turnover in 2012 was NOK 6.4billion.

bands, which appear to be verypromising for future maritime broad-band communications.

Communications in the high north

Norway has a well developed broad-band network, with one exception: seaareas north of Bjørnøya. Here onlytelephone communications may bereliably accessed, and data down-loading degrades with increasinglatitude. This is because the northernlimit of the coverage of geostationarycommunications satellites is about 75 °N.Diminishing sea ice has led to

increased exploration for oil and gas;the number of tourist ships has gone up,and ship traffic in the Northeast Passagecan grow in summer. The need forbroad-band probably will go up, soNSC and Telenor Satellite Broadcastinghave initiated a joint project to findsolutions for broadband coverage in thehigh north. The project, which isrelevant to the governmental high northstrategy, focuses on user needs,technical solutions and system para-meters. Agreements that make Norwayresponsible for search and rescue in theNorwegian sector all the way to theNorth Pole have also brought about aneed for higher capacity.

Satellite-based AIS

The Automatic Identification System(AIS) satellite AISSat-1 has beensuccessful since it was polar orbited in2010. Sixteen times a day it gives theNorwegian Coastal Administrationupdated information on ship traffic inNorwegian waters. Its identical succes-sor AISSat-2 is now ready for orbitingas soon as there’s an opportunity forlaunch. Planning has begun for a furtherdevelopment of a higher-performanceAIS receiver that can be used withfuture satellites such as NORSAT-1.At the ESA Council meeting at

Ministerial level Norway pledgedsupport funding for the AdvancedResearch in TelecommunicationsSystems (ARTES) programme in orderto take part in the discussions of anenvisioned ESA-owned AIS satelliteand to gain access to data from it.

Satellite navigation

Galileo is the largest European jointinfrastructure commitment and thelargest ever EU space project. Togetherwith GPS, Galileo will be Europe’s aswell as Norway’s primary system forpositioning, navigation and timing.With its appreciable economic activity,demanding topography and manage-ment responsibility for extensive landand sea areas, Norway needs better,more reliable navigational aids. Satellitenavigation is a reliable, cost-effectivesolution.The ESA membership enabled

Norway to influence the shaping ofGalileo early on. When the EU assumedownership, Norway entered an agree-ment for the 2009-2013 developmentphase of the system. To date,Norwegian companies have beenawarded development phase contractstotalling nearly €50 million. As in2009, a Parliamentary resolution will berequired for further participation in theoperative phase from 2014 on.In October, two Galileo satellites

were orbited, so the system now hasfour operational satellites. In 2012,contracts were entered for delivery ofeight more satellites. In all, 26 satelliteshave been contracted. Plans call for allto be orbited in 2015. A test phase ofthe operative services is planned beforethe end of 2014. The EU Commissionhas put forth a proposal for furtherextension, development and operationof the system up to its completion in2020. The seven billion Euro systembudget has been put forward forincorporation in the EU budget for the2014-2020 EU financial period.Three of the 30 ground stations

supporting the Galileo system are onNorwegian lands, in the Arctic onSpitzbergen in the Svalbard archipelagoand on Jan Mayen island and inAntarctica on Queen Maud Land. The three stations help ensure signalprecision and reliability and the twoArctic stations are particularlyimportant for system accuracy in thehigh north.The Public Regulated Service (PRS)

is an encrypted Galileo service for

public sector groups with the strictrequirement that it always be available.Through participation in Galileo,subject to a supplementary agreement,Norway may have full access to PRS,as do EU countries. The process forentering such a supplementary agree-ment has started.The EU satellite navigation program-

mes also include a support system, theEuropean Geostationary OverlayService (EGNOS). It aims to ensure thequality and reliability of GPS signalsacross Europe. In December, Avinor,the State-owned company operatingmost of the civil airports in Norway,initiated introduction of approachsystems based on EGNOS for improvedair traffic control safety throughout thecountry.

Earth observation

NSC has been the driving force behindensuring further Norwegian involvementin the EU Global Monitoring forEnvironment and Security (GMES)programme, now renamed Copernicus.The programme is a large-scale effort tounderstand natural processes, climateand the environment. Copernicus willrequire enormous amounts of data fromexisting and new satellites owned byEU, ESA, Eumetsat and membercountries.The negotiations between Norway

and the EU and the subsequentresolution on Norwegian participationsin GMES Initial Operations 2011-2013ensures our being able to influence theprogramme. It’s an active dialog withkey Norwegian users including theNorwegian Meteorological Institute, the Geological Survey of Norway, the Norwegian Coastal Administration,the Norwegian Polar Institute, the Norwegian Armed Forces andothers, to ensure that needs essential forNorway will be considered in thedesign of and plans for operation ofnew European satellites. Key groundstation tasks in the first phase of theprogramme have been assigned toSvalbard.In 2012, ESA’s largest development

programme in Earth observation called6


for six planned meteorological satellitesin the Meteosat Third Generationseries, for which Norwegian companieswere awarded important tasks. SeveralNorwegian space-sector companiespositioned themselves well for possiblefuture deliveries to the Metop SecondGeneration satellites, a programmeinitiated by resolution at the ESACouncil of Ministers meeting.Expansion of the ESA Sentinel

satellite ground segment has goneahead in 2012, with KSAT in a key role.Sentinel 1A will be launched in theautumn of 2013. NSC is cooperatingwith Norwegian agencies and researchcommunities in developing newapplications based on satellite data.

Space research

After much uncertainty, the ESAEXoMars pogramme was clarified atthe ESA Council meeting at Ministeriallevel. In a joint effort with Russia, anew European space exploration probewill be orbited around Mars in 2016and a rover with a Norwegian-developed ground-penetrating radarwill be landed in 2018. The rover willhave a two-metre-long drill to facilitatesubsurface measurements.Curiosity, the new Mars rover was

launched in 2011 and touched down onMars in August 2012. The landing wasexciting, as Curiosity was lowered ontethers from a sky crane. The landingwas successful, and Curiosity wasreadied for use in the autumn. SeveralCuriosity instruments were testedduring the Arctic Mars AnalogueSvalbard Expedition (AMASE).

Svalbard was chosen as a test sitebecause in many places its bedrockresembles that found on Mars.In 2012, the ESA member countries

formally agreed on cooperation inEuclid, a major astronomy project thatwill bring together European scientistsin the search for dark matter and darkenergy. The Euclid satellite is scheduledfor launch in 2020. Many of the scien-tists are associated with the Institute ofTheoretical Astrophysics at the Uni-versity of Oslo, so Euclid is one of thelargest-ever initiatives in Norwegianspace research.The ESA scientific programme has

several orbited space telescopes, spaceexploration probes orbiting Mars andVenus and a comet probe still on theway to its target. There were no newscience programme launches in 2012.

Communications and education

In August, NSC joined with the AndøyaRocket Range in celebrating the 50thanniversary of Norway’s start as aspace nation. The celebration lastedfour days and was attended by 5,000people, including H.M. King Haraldand Minister of Trade and IndustryTrond Giske.There was an average of two

mentions a day of NSC in the media.This was slightly more than in 2011,but the impact was greater becausemedia coverage of the 50th anniversarycelebration was extensive across thecountry. The anniversary and spaceactivities were highly visible in TVcoverage in the Saturday Review onNRK1 and on TV2, major features in

national newspapers and many onlinenews mentions. Moreover, there wasgood regional coverage in Nordlandand Troms Counties. NSC took part inthe Oslo Science Fair, an event open tothe public that drew 20,000 to 25,000visitors. In addition, the NSC staff held220 lectures and some 50 meetings with1900 participants were held in the NSCpremises at Skøyen in Oslo.In 2006, the AnSat student satellite

programme was initiated, in part tointerest young people in future careersin technology and science. Theprogramme involves two universitiesand one college planning, building,testing and launching a satellite thatdelivers data. To date, the programmehas involved 147 students, of which 111have taken Bachelor's or Master'sdegrees.Space travel now is part of the lower

secondary school natural sciencecurriculum. Over five years, NSC hasoffered 8th to 10th year pupils freelectures on space and astronomy that in2012 were attended by 1300 lowersecondary school pupils in Oslo andAkershus Counties.The romsenter.no website was

thoroughly renewed in a preproject in2011 that led to an invitation to tenderfor it in 2012. Work on the new websitestarted in September, and the new site isscheduled to be operational in April2013. In addition to continuation of thefocus on astronomy and space travel,the new site also clarifies services forusers in administration, businesses andschools.

7

Oslo, 22.02.2013

Bo Andersen, Adm.direktør

Marie Nymark Melle

Mats Carlsson Kirsti Lovise Slotsvik

Kjetil Storaas Hansen

Edel Storelvmo, Styreleder


8

EXTRACT OF ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2012(Average exchange rate for 2012: 1€ = NOK 7.4744 )

Administrative appropriation from the Ministry of Trade and Industry 48 959 190Other income* 65 717 270 Operating income 114 676 460Salaries and social expenses 35 559 971 Other operating expenses 80 723 421Total operating expenses 116 283 392 Ordinary operating result 1 606 932 Finance income and finance costs 285 762 RESULTS, ORDINARY ACTIVITIES 1 892 694

*Income in the profit and loss accounts comprises mostly an appropriation from

the Ministry of Trade and Industry and other income derived mostly from

services delivered to other space organizations.

Personnel costs and other operating expenses are the principal costs. The latter

includes purchases from subcontractors to fulfil service obligations that we incur

from other space organizations from which we receive income.

ALLOCATION OF APPROPRIATION

Appropriation from the Ministry of Trade and Industry 543 631 299

ESA Pension 405 130 ESA Mandatory basic activities 40 191 101 ESA Mandatory CSG Kourou 10 525 673 ESA Mandatory Science Programme 89 407 761 ESA Earth Observation 68 000 406 ESA Microgravity 15 691 828 ESA Navigation 9 499 043 ESA PRODEX 11 927 280 RADARSAT 8 099 072 ESA Space Situational Awareness 4 496 899 ESA Space Station 13 064 711 ESA Technology Development 54 850 580 ESA Telecommunications 123 007 510 ESA Space Transport 29 900 201 Esrange/Andøya Special project 17 664 449 National support schemes 46 899 655 Disbursement of appropriation 543 631 299

Extract of annual accounts for 2012

Pictorial review of 2012

9

January

Ariane busy

In 2012 there were seven launchesof Ariane 5, the largest Europeanlaunch vehicle, from the SpaceCentre near Kourou in FrenchGuiana. The payloads were mostlysatellites but Ariane also helped theAutomated Transfer Vehicle on itsway (see March). Since 2002,Ariane 5 has had 53 successfullaunches in a row. SeveralNorwegian companies, includingNammo Raufoss, KongsbergDefence Systems and Alcatel Space,deliver or have delivered technologyto Ariane 5 and Arianspace, thecompany responsible for launchesfrom the Space Centre near Kourou.©ESA/Arianespace

Clooney’s satellite project

The advertising film that actorGeorge Clooney made for DenNorske Bank website dnb.no wasmuch mentioned in the media.Clooney used income from the filmto finance a project in which satelliteimages monitor conflict areas inSudan. In combination, satelliteimages, analyses and fieldobservations capture possible threatsto civilian populations, observerefugees and find villages that havebeen bombed. Clooney’s SatelliteSentinel Project cooperates with theUN’s UNOSAT programme that isexperienced in the use of satellitesolutions in humanitarian actions.

©DigitalGlobe

©Satellite Sentinel Project

10

February

First Vega launch

The initial launch of the EuropeanVega launch vehicle took place on13 February. Now Europe has asmaller launch vehicle well suitedfor small payloads, that is, satellitesweighing 300 kg to 2000 kg. Thelaunch was from the EuropeanSpace Centre near Kourou in FrenchGuiana, site of the Ariane launches.While Ariane can orbit two satellitestogether weighing up to 10 tons,Vega can meet increasing needs fororbiting smaller satellites in orbitsfrom equatorial to polar. The firstVega launch carried nine Europeansmall satellites.©ESA - S. Corvaja, 2012

Ancient sea on Mars

The European Mars Express space probe has found remnants of an ancient seaon our red neighbour planet. The radar on board the ESA probe penetrates to adepth of 60 to 80 metres under the surface and has found a large area with icedeposits in the northern hemisphere. The sea existed briefly, for about a millionyears, three or four billion years ago. That duration was probably too short forlife to have evolved. The water probably was absorbed in the ground and frozeto ice or was vaporized in the atmosphere.©ESA, C. Carreau


11

March

On autopilot to the Space Station

Operation of the Space Stationrequires water, food, air, clothing andequipment supplied at intervals forthe astronauts on board. ESA’s thirdAutomated Transfer Vehicle (ATV)

completed a successful mission to the Space Station, navigating anddocking without human intervention.In addition to supplies, the ATVcarried research experiment gear andmaintenance equipment. Air

resistance continuously lowers theorbit of the Space Station, so oneATV task was to lift it back up inorbit. Once that task was accomplish-ed, the ATV was filled with wastefrom the Space Station and sent in anorbit back toward Earth to burn up inthe atmosphere.©ESA/CNES/Arianespace/Optique Video du CSG -P.Baudon

More accurate weather forecasting

Europe aims to build a new genera-tion of meteorological satellites thatwill supply a hundred times moresatellite data than the satellite fleet of today. The greater amount of data

will improve the accuracy of weatherforecasts. The new generation ofmeteorological satellites is calledMeteosat Third Generation (MTG)and will comprise six satellites ingeostationary orbit about the Earth.

In 2018, the MTG satellites willsupersede today’s Meteosat fleet andensure continuation of the Meteosatprogramme that has supplied weatherdata since the 1970s.©Bård Gudim


©NASA


12

Envisat task finished

Just a few weeks after ESA celebratedthe tenth anniversary for Envisat, it fell silent. Several attempts to re-establish contact failed, so ESAdeclared the hard-working Envisat to be a loss. In its ten years in polarorbit, Envisat contributed Earthobservation data from the Arctic,monitored the atmosphere, seas, ice,vegetation changes, volcanism (seefollowing) and provided othermeasurements useful in climate andenvironmental monitoring. To date,Envisat data have been used in morethan 2500 scientific publications,and much unprocessed data remainsfor future research projects. ©ESA/Denmann production

April

When volcanoes awaken

Satellites can sense imminent actionof dormant volcanoes. Forecastingvolcanic eruptions can be lucrative, asevidenced by the eruption ofEyafjallajökul on Iceland in 2010stopping air travel in Europe for manydays. Analyses of satellite radarimages can reveal movements undervolcanoes that may be the precursors

of eruptions. Images of the LongonotVolcano in Kenya are based onsatellite data and show that it rosenine centimetres in two years startingin 2004. The ESA Sentinel satellitescan deliver the long series of obser-vations necessary before volcaniceruptions forecasting can be realized.©ESA

Scottish student satellite won

The finest satellite adventure of thespring took place at Andøya. Youngpeople from 14 European countrieswere finalists in the CanSat soda cansatellite competition. Team Alphafrom Scotland won. The Norwegianteam from the Heimdal UpperSecondary School had worked hardon the parachute for their satellite,which unfortunately was damagedduring launching.©J. Mäkinen / ESA


13

May

Jupiter next

ESA has chosen its next major spaceproject. It will be a mission toJupiter and its large moons to searchfor water and life. The project iscalled JUICE (JUpiter ICy moonsExplorer). When the probe arrives in2030, it will explore the volcanicallyactive moon Io, the ice-and-rockmoons Ganymedes and Callisto andthe ice moon Europa. JUICE alsowill also investigate Jupiter's atmos-phere and magnetic field and howthe planet interacts with its moons.Norwegian companies are amongthe world leaders in making largesteerable solar panels of the sort thatwill be fitted to the probe. So theremay be Norwegian deliveries to theprobe, which is scheduled for launchin 2022. ©ESA/AOES

New high north

Internet portal

On 30 May, ForeignMinister Jonas GahrStøre opened theBarentsWatchInternet portal that isa single source for allinformation on thehigh north. Theportal eases access toinformation on andservices for coastsand sea areas for thegeneral public,authorities anddecision-makers.This will improve the exchange ofinformation betweenvarious actors.

In all, 27 agenciesand researchinstitutes supply datato the portal, andsatellite data is anessential part of theinformation base.


14

June

Large rocket launched from Andøya

On 22 June, the largest ever rocketlaunched from Norway was sent intospace from the Andøya RocketRange. The rocket was used by theGerman Aerospace Centre (DLR) totest various materials and newapproaches to heat shields for use inspace shuttles. The seven-ton rocketattained a maximum altitude of 177km and fell into the sea southwest ofSvalbard ten minutes after launch.©Trond Abrahamsen

Venus transit across

the midnight Sun

On 6 June, Venus passed in front ofthe Sun. The astronomical high pointof the summer was celebrated acrossthe country. The midnight Sun inNorthern Norway and on Svalbardpermitted the solar transit to beobserved for seven hours. Historicaltransits of Venus observed round theEarth have been used to estimate thedistance from the Earth to the Sunand the size of the solar system. In1769, Vardø in northern Norway wasone of the observation sites chosen,and astronomer Maxmillian Hell wassent from Vienna to make observa-tions there. Astronomer Hell’smeasurements at Vardø along withthose of Captian Cook in Tahiticontributed to the accuracy of theestimated distances of the solar system.©Michel Breitfellner and Miguel Perez Ayucar/ESAC

15


July

Satellite TV jubilee

The first direct transmission of TVimages across the Atlantic took placeon 23 July 1962. It included imagesof landmarks such as the Statue ofLiberty and the Golden Gate Bridge

sent from a ground station in Mainevia the Telstar 1 satellite that had beenlaunched two weeks previously. Thesignals were received by groundstations in England and in France anddistributed across Europe. Later that

evening, the satellite relay directionwas reversed, and American TVviewers could view images of theEiffel Tower and the midnight sun.©NASA

Maritime broadband antennas

Fifty years after the first direct TVtransmission across the Atlantic, wenow can view TV, listen to radio andenjoy telephone and broadband linksacross the Earth via communicationssatellites. The challenge for ships atsea is for antennas sufficiently stablefor continuous good signalreception. In July, Jotron Satcom ofNorway launched a new antenna forhigher throughput broadband onboard ships. The antenna automati-cally homes in on the direction ofthe strongest signal and tracks it asthe ship heels or rolls.

©trondur / 123RF Stock Photo

©Jotron AS


August

16

Curiosity

On 6 August, the Curiosity Marsrover touched down perfectly afterbeing lowered on tethers from a skycrane fitted with four downward-pointing thrusters. The remotely-controlled rover will investigate thegeological structure, chemistry andweather of Mars near the landingsite at the Gale crater in its northernhemisphere. It is fitted with severalinstruments, two of which weretested on Svalbard before beingmounted on the rover. If all goeswell, Curiosity may be operationalfor 12 to 15 years and may thenprovide an answer to whether thereis or has been microbial life on Mars.©NASA/JPL-Caltech - ©Kjell Ove Storvik/AMASE

Norway in space for 50 years

Norway became a space nation withthe launch of the Ferdinand 1 rocketfrom the Andøya Rocket Range on 18 August 1962. In the 50 years sincethen, thousands of research rocketshave been launched from the Range.

The jubilee was celebrated by a royalvisit, a scientific conference, aresearch symposium, a public academyand an art exhibition. The King laidthe foundation stone for a newadventure centre due to open in 2014.Space Circus, a gala performance,

was held in a circus tent next door tothe control tower. More than threethousand guests visited the AndøyaRocket Range during the four-daycelebration of the jubilee.©FFI

©Trond Abrahamsen og Kolbjørn Blix Dahle

17


September

Environmental data to Svalbard

SvalSat will be the main downloadingstation for the Sentinel series of newEuropean environmental satellites.The satellites will monitor environ-ment and climate around the Earthand will ensure continuity of timeseries of data from today's environ-mental satellites. KSAT’s contract isfor NOK 200 million, has a durationof five years and covers downloadingdata from the first three Sentinelsatellites. The first satellite will belaunched in 2013. ©KSAT

Portrait of the young Universe

The Hubble telescope peers farther out in the Universe and farther back in timethan ever before. The image depicts the Universe as it was 13.2 billion yearsago. More than five thousand galaxies and galaxy clusters are visible in thecollage consisting of thousands of individual images. The most remote, leastluminous galaxies are the oldest. They are estimated to have been formed 450million years after the Big Bang. The Hubble telescope was launched in 1990.After its upgrading and repair, astronomers reckon that it will be operationaluntil 2018 or later.©NASA; ESA; G. Illingworth, D. Magee, and P. Oesch, University of California, Santa Cruz; R. Bouwens, LeidenUniversity; and the HUDF09 Team

New weather satellite orbited

Metop-B is the second satellite in anew series of European meteoro-logical satellites developed by ESAand the European Organization forthe Exploitation of MeteorologicalSatellites (EUMETSAT). The satel-lite was launched on 17 Septemberfrom the Baikonur Cosmodrome inKazakhstan. It is in polar orbit anddelivers meteorological and atmos-pheric data from around the world,which improves weather forecastingaccuracy and supplies usefulenvironmental data for climateresearch. ©EUMETSAT


18

October

Prestigious grant for Norwegian

space research

The University of Bergen and spacephysics Professor Nikolai Østgaardhave been awarded an NOK 18million grant for research on gammaray flashes in thunderstorms. Gammaray flashes are made up of X-ray and

gamma radiation that occurs inthunder-storms. The phenomena arepoorly understood, and ProfessorØstgaard’s space physics researchgroup is among the four-five worldleaders in the field. The grant wasawarded by the European ResearchCouncil (ERC) Advanced Grants and

signifies that Professor Østgaard’sgamma ray flash project at theUniversity of Bergen is of world rank.The research group is alreadybuilding an ESA-financed X-rayinstrument to be monted on board theInternational Space Station to acquiredata on the phenomenon.

©plampy - ©Stock Photo

Two new Galileo satellites orbited

Two new Galileo satellites werelaunched 12 October from Kourouin French Guiana. Together with twoequivalent satellites orbited in 2011,they will be used in testing theforthcoming Galileo navigationsystem. In addition to their naviga-tion technology and extremelyaccurate clocks, the two satellitesare fitted with search and rescuetransponders that can rapidly accessand forward signals from emergencybeacons. Norwegian companiesdeliver various devices for thesatellites and ground stations of theGalileo system, which is scheduledto be completed in 2020.

©ESA - S. Corvaja

19


November

Commits more than a billion

Norway has committed more thanNOK 1.1 billion to the ESA optionalprogrammes. The funds will beallocated over several years toprogrammes that Norway views asadvantageous for its industries,administration and research.

As Minister of Trade and IndustryTrond Giske remarked after the ESACouncil meeting at ministerial level inItaly, “space activities haveconsiderable, increasing benefit for abroad spectrum public sectoractivities, particularly in the highnorth where there are few or no

alternatives to satellite-basedsolutions." In addition to participationin the optional programmes, all ESAmember countries pay a membershipfee that in part covers ESA scientificprogrammes. The total ESA budgetfor the 2013-2017 period is €10billion. ©ESA–S. Corvaja, 2012

Aims to settle Mars

Space pioneer Elon Musk seeks new challenges. After having sent Dragon, thefirst privately-developed spacecraft to the Space Station with supplies in October,Mr. Musk now eyes Mars. He envisions sending a small party to Mars to colonizethe planet. With time he envisions the population of the colony to be about80,000 and the price of a trip to it costing about 500,000 dollars. SpaceX, Mr. Musk’s company that developed Dragon and the Falcon launch vehicle, now is testing the next generation of launch vehicles that will be able to take off and land vertically and will be reusable. ©SpaceX


December

20

European space weather

forecasting

Starting in 2013, the NorwegianMapping Authority (NMA) willcontribute to ESA space weatherforecasting. Severe space weather candisable satellites as well as terrestrial

electronic devices and power grids.Severe space weather events usually ismanifested in geomagnetic storms andaurora in northern regions, but duringpowerful solar storms aurora canspread round the planet. Norway has along tradition of solar and aurora

research and thereby the expertise forstrengthening the space weatherservice of the ESA Space SituationalAwareness Programme. Starting inearly 2013, the NMA will deliverionospheric weather data to the ESAcentre for space weather. ©NASA

Miniature Nile on Titan

The Casini probe had discovered aflow that resembles a miniature Nileon Titan, the largest Saturnian moon.The flow is 400 km long and runsfrom a source region down to a large

sea. Titan is the only extraterrestrialenvironment known to supportflowing liquids. But it’s too cold tohave water flow on its surface. Soscientists believe that the flow maybe of hydrocarbons, such as ethane or

methane, that run in rivers and fillseas on Titan. The Casini probe hasorbited Saturn since 2005, and is apart of Cassini-Huygens, a joint spaceeffort of ESA, NASA, and ASI, theItalian space agency.

©NASA/JPL–Caltech/ASI

Board

Edel Storelvmo, ChairmanKjetil Storaas Hansen, Vice ChairmanMarian Nymark MelleMats CarlssonKirsti Lovise Slotsvik

Deputy members:Kari NygaardFrode Berge

Management

Bo Nyborg Andersen,Managing Director

2

Management 2012

Trainees

Director General

B. Andersen

Finance and

Administration

K. E. Myrvang

E. F. Amundsen

E. Stange Heikvam

S. Thoresen

E. T. Vego

Corporate

Communications

and Education

M. Moen

A.-L. Ruud

C. Aasen

Space andEarth Sciences

T. Wahl

Space Science

and Space StationP. Brekke

M.V. Tantillo

IndustryG. Hovmork

(Deputy Director)

Industrial

CoordinationR. Eriksen

B. O. Elseth

Space

TransportationG. Hovmork

SatelliteCommunications

O. GangåsR. Sandbakken

S. H. Torvet

Telecommunications and Navigation

J. Rønneberg

Andøya Rakettskytefelt AS

O. R. Enoksen

90% Government

Norsk Romsenter Eiendom AS

K. E. Myrvang

100% Government

Kongsberg

Satellite Services AS

R. Skatteboe

50% Norsk Romsenter

Eiendom AS

Satellite

NavigationL. Giske

B. Hansen

J. Heier

K. Moldeklev

S. Thomsen

E. Uribarri

K.A. Aarmo

Earth ObservationE-A. Herland

D.A. Moldestad

P.E. Skrøvseth

G. Dahle Strøm

ProjectsF. Udnæs

V.L. Barth

E.M. Hagen

B. Johansen

L. Løge

M. Ytrehus Moldestad

M. Osmundsen

M. Aakre

Organization of the Norwegian Space Centre as per 1. september 2013

Edel Storelvmo Bo Nyborg Andersen

In accordance with governmental guidelines and in co-operation with and tobenefit Norwegian industry, research, public-sector bodies and Norwegianinterest in general, the objectives of the Norwegian Space Centre are to:

l promote the development and coordination of Norwegian space activities,

l co-ordinate the Ministerial interests and needs within space activities,

l prepare proposals for integrated long-term programmes for Norwegianspace activities and submit these to the Ministry of Trade and Industry,

l manage Norwegian Space Centre resources and efficiently distributefunding from the Norwegian State and other sources,

l mind Norwegian interests in liaison with space sector organizations inother countries as well as international organizations and contribute tocoordinating Norwegian space activities with those elsewhere,

l manage State holdings in space-related companies in the private sector,

l facilitate the meeting of user needs in the space sector.

ObjectivesFrom the Director 1


Extract of annual accounts for 2012 8

Pictorial review of 2012 9

Organization of the Norwegian Space Centre

Inside back cover

Contents

The Norwegian Space Centre (NSC) is a government agency under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. NSC was established in 1987, when Norway became a memberof the European Space Agency (ESA).

NSC is responsible for organizing Norwegian space activi-ties, particularly with respect to ESA and the EU, and forcoordinating national space activities. See Objectives boxbelow for further information.

NSC manages governmental interests in the Andøya RocketRange (90%) and in Norwegian Space Centre Properties(100%), which in turn owns 50% of Kongsberg SatelliteServices AS.

In 2013, the total budget was NOK 751 million, and theNSC had 38 employees.

Facts about the Norwegian Space Centre

Annual Report 2012

P.O. Box 113 SkøyenNO-0212 Oslo, NorwayTelephone: +47 22 51 18 00Telefax: +47 22 51 18 01www.spacecentre.no

For further information, please contact The Norwegian Space Centre Corporate Communications and Education:Marianne Moen, Deputy Director General, or Ann-Lisbeth Ruud, Senior Executive Officer

NSC Report(2013)7ISBN 978-82-7542-103-4Oslo, October 2013

Layout: Pål Nordberg, Grafisk Design

Printed by: Kraft Digitalprint AS

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Documents

Annual Report 2012 - NSD · Report of the Board 2 Ex tr acof nul s for 201 8 Pictorial review of 2012 9 Organization of the Norwegian Space Centre I ide back c e Contents The Norwegian