’98Annual Report

Firstpage 15-09-1999 13:22 Page 1

BTHE ACTIVITIES

Scientific ProjectsScientific Research & Earth SciencesEarth ObservationTelecommunicationsSpace TransportationManned Spaceflight & MicrogravityTechnical & Operational SupportTechnologyInternational CooperationPublic RelationsPublications

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ERS

ERS system operations continued very smoothlyduring 1998, with excellent performances from boththe satellites and the ground segment. The primarymission was assured with ERS-2, whilst keeping theERS-1 payload in hibernation and available as back-up.

On 17 November, the mission was interrupted for 30hours to protect both ERS-1 and ERS-2 from theLeonid meteorite storm. Special measures were takenonboard to protect all the sensitive elements.Extended ground-segment coverage with a completeoperations team was set up to monitor the satellitesand react immediately in case of problems. Noanomalies were detected either during or after thestorm.

Based on the good health of the ERS system, aproposal was submitted to the Earth ObservationProgramme Board to extend operations until 2003.This would permit continuity of the full mission untilEnvisat becomes operational, as well as of the windand ozone data until Metop-1’s entry into operation.

A number of procedures and activities wereintroduced related to extending the operational life ofboth ERS satellites for as long as possible:– New monitoring and warning mechanisms have

been implemented.

Earth Observation

ESA SP-1228

– The signal amplification gains of the ERS-2instruments have been adjusted to compensate for payload ageing.

– A study of the feasibility of maintaining ERS-2’sattitude using only one or two gyros with thesupport of the digital sensors and reaction wheels was initiated. Initial results were very promisingand the new solution should be available by mid-1999.

– A study was initiated to find a work-around solution that would allow the ERS-1 payload instruments (which following the solar-array failure at the end of 1997 could only be usedindividually) to be operated in parallel once again.

The Envisat spacecraft under test at ESTEC (NL)

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During the year, the Programme made significantprogress towards the final build-up of the flight-modelsatellite. The flight Payload Module took shape withthe integration of the payload equipment bayelectronics with the payload carrier structure and theharness. This was followed by the successfulintegration of the first three flight-model instruments:DORIS, MWR and GOMOS.

The development and production of the flight-modelinstruments progressed well during the year andshould be completed by mid-1999. In addition to theinstruments already integrated on the flight PayloadModule, the Radar Altimeter, MIPAS and the ASARcentral electronic subassembly were accepted anddelivered for integration with the satellite.

The Envisat satellite engineering-model programmecontinued with the integration of the remainingengineering-model instruments, and the execution offunctional tests to demonstrate the functioning of thecomplete payload under realistic operating scenarios.At the end of 1998, the satellite was prepared for theradio-frequency compatibility test, one of the lastmajor tests in the engineering-model programme.

The Payload Data Segment integration phaseadvanced significantly during 1998, includingsuccessful completion of the Test Readiness Review in mid-year. The Flight Operations Segmentdevelopment and integration also progressedaccording to plan.

A special Task Force set up by the Earth ObservationProgramme Board in 1997 to define the Envisat DataPolicy successfully completed its work early in 1998,allowing the Policy to be approved by the ProgrammeBoard in February. The High-Level Operations Plan forEnvisat was discussed, refined and finalised in theData Operations Scientific and Technical AdvisoryGroup (DOSTAG) and submitted for Programme Boardapproval.

The Announcement of Opportunity for scientific dataexploitation and pilot projects attracted a very highlevel of interest from the Earth Observation usercommunity. Evaluation of the more than 700proposals submitted took place during the secondhalf of the year.

Meteosat Transition Programme (MTP)

Nearly 20 years after the launch of the first EuropeanMeteosat spacecraft, Meteosat-7, the last spacecraftof this first-generation design, was placed in orbit on2 September by Ariane flight V99, which was followedby a successful commissioning phase.

Flight model of Envisat’s MERIS instrument undergoing vibrationtesting at ESTEC (NL)

Flight model of Envisat’s MWR instrument at Alenia (I)

Envisat-1 and Polar Platform

Envisat is planned for launch in mid-2000 by anAriane-5 into a Sun-synchronous orbit, with a groundtrack identical to the present ERS-2 mission. Designedfor at least 5 years of in-orbit operation, it will providecontinuous global observations as well as regionalhigh- and medium-resolution radar and opticalimages from its Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) and Medium-Resolution ImagingSpectrometer (MERIS).

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Meteosat-7 was a classical recurrent-spacecraftprogramme, but there were special difficulties due tothe advances in technology that had taken place inthe ten intervening years between the building ofMeteosat-4, 5 and 6 and that of Meteosat-7. Industryis therefore to be congratulated in that the imagesproduced during the Meteosat-7 commissioningphase were more than equal to any produced by theearlier spacecraft. This MTP spacecraft, whichbecame the operational mission spacecraft on 3 June1998, has sufficient fuel to continue operating until2004. Meteosat-6 has been the in-orbit standbyspacecraft since June 1998.

In support of the international Indian OceanExperiment (INDOEX), which will study clouds, solarradiation and the interactions of atmosphericpollutants, Meteosat-5 is being moved to a positionaround 63ºE, high above the Indian Ocean. Theroutine INDOEX mission started in July 1998 and isplanned to continue until the end of 1999.

Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) Programme

The MSG programme’s main development phase(Phase-C/D) has been underway for 3.5 years and

remains on schedule. The main milestones in 1998were the thermal testing of the structural and thermalmodel performed in the Large Space Simulator atESTEC in March and the System Critical Design Reviewcompleted in November, which released system-leveltesting and flight-hardware manufacture.

The ESA MSG-1 development model, due to belaunched in 2000, will be followed in 2002 by MSG-2,which will serve as its in-orbit standby. The MSGspacecraft development and manufacturingprogramme will continue until 2003, when MSG-3 willbe placed in ground storage for a nominal period offive years. This scenario, in combination with theMeteosat-7 first-generation spacecraft launched in1997, will enable Eumetsat to guarantee anuninterrupted operational geostationary imaging anddata-dissemination service until at least 2012, sinceeach of the new spacecraft has a seven-year designlifetime.

Eumetsat finances approximately one third of theMSG-1 development programme and fully financesthe recurrent MSG-2 and MSG-3 models, which areprocured from industry by ESA on Eumetsat’s behalf.

The MSG structural/thermal model at ESTEC (NL) for testing in the Large Space Simulator (LSS)

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Metop Programme

A major programme milestone was achieved duringthe year with the full start-up of the European PolarSystem (EPS) space-segment development phase.

Following ESA and Eumetsat approval of the Metopcontract proposal for the provision of three satellites,the industrial team reached full strength – initiallyperforming Subsystem Preliminary Design Reviews inpreparation for the System Preliminary Design Reviewplanned to be held early in 1999. Instrumentinterface-control documents for the third-partyinstruments that are being provided to theprogramme by NOAA/NASA, Eumetsat and CNESmatured, although not all were yet formally signed offby all of the parties involved.

Responsibility for the GRAS instruments, the basictechnology development for which was carried outunder the EOPP, was taken over by the Metopindustrial team and by an instrument consortiumselected by ESA and Eumetsat through restrictedcompetition. Finalisation of the contractualimplementation should be achieved shortly.

For the GOME-2 instrument, to be procured directlyunder ESA responsibility rather than through theMetop prime contractor, a Phase-C0 was initiatedthrough direct negotiation with essentially the sameindustrial consortium that had built the similarinstrument for ERS-2. In parallel, the evaluation of anoffer solicited for a full Phase-C/D development led toa joint contract proposal submitted to ESA’sIndustrial Policy Committee (IPC) and the EumetsatCouncil. The latter endorsed the procurement ofGOME-2 for Metop-1 and 2. For Metop-3, however, theproject team was requested to conduct a competitiveevaluation between a third GOME-2 and a Dutch-developed Imaging Spectrometer.

The Cooperation Agreement between ESA andEumetsat still requires consensus on the essentialaspects of its practical implementation and theirdocumentation in a project implementation plan. TheAgreement will enter into force once the threeremaining ad-referendum votes (Denmark, Greece,Italy) for the Eumetsat EPS programme have beenlifted.

Earth Observation Strategy and FutureProgrammesBased on the report by the Strategy Task Force issuedin early 1998, the definition of the Agency’s Strategyfor Earth Observation in the post-2000 era wasfinalised in the course of the year. This strategy callsfor two lines of missions, i.e. research-oriented Earth

Explorer (Core and Opportunity) missions, andapplications-oriented Earth Watch missions. These are viewed as two linked elements of the overall strategy, which includes both preparatoryactivities and data-exploitation/market-developmentactivities.

Initial steps were undertaken for the implementationof the strategy through the ‘Living PlanetProgramme’, which will comprise the EarthObservation Envelope Programme (EOEP) anddedicated Earth Watch programmes.

An EOEP Programme Proposal was elaborated anddiscussed with Delegations early in the year. Twomajor advances were:– the adoption by the ESA Council in March of a

Resolution endorsing the proposed Earth Observation Strategy and its implementation through, in particular, an Earth Observation Envelope Programme

– the approval in June of the initiation of EOEP activities in 1999/2000 through a special exten-sion of the EOPP subscribed to a level of 24 MECU.

The necessary legal documents for the EOEP(Declaration and Implementing Rules) are currentlybeing finalised for approval and subscription at thenext ESA Ministerial Council Meeting.

Preparatory activities were initiated within EOPP forboth Earth Explorer Core and Opportunity Missionsas well as for Earth Watch. A document on the Scienceand Research Elements of ESA’s Living PlanetProgramme was issued (as ESA SP-1227) in October.This document, written by the Earth SciencesAdvisory Committee, is the culmination of more thana year’s debate within the European EarthObservation research community. It underpins theoverall plan for the Earth Explorer missions.

Action was also taken in 1998 on the preparation ofconcrete proposals for Earth Watch missions, whichare planned to be implemented in a partnershipbetween ESA, industry and users, and in co-operationwith other entities such as the European Commission.

Overall, the year saw the initiation of the ESAprogramme post-Envisat and Metop. New ways ofworking between the Agency, Industry and EarthObservation users are among the challenges. Thedecisions taken by the ESA Council of Ministers in1999 will chart the course ahead.

Earth Observation Preparatory Programme (EOPP)

The considerable effort made by those Member Stateswho subscribed to the second extension of EOPP in

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1997, enabling the Executive to maintain thoseactivities most critical for the preparation of futureEarth Observation activities, finally came to fruition inJune when programme subscriptions reached 80%.

Phase-A studies of the first candidate Earth Explorercore missions, namely the Gravity and OceanCirculation Mission (GOCE), the Earth RadiationMission (ERM), the Atmospheric Dynamics Mission(ADM) and the Land Surface Processes andInteractions Mission (LSPIM), were started in thesummer of 1998 and the selection of two to goforward to Phase-B is expected in autumn 1999.

A Call for Earth Explorer Opportunity Missions wasissued in July and a total of 27 proposals werereceived, demonstrating the strong interest within theEarth Observation scientific community. Twocandidates will be selected in spring 1999 for study atPhase-A/B level. A further proposal will be selected asa reserve.

The call to Industry for outline mission proposals forEarth Watch partnership, issued in late 1997, resultedin 20 proposals. Although this clearly demonstratedthe keen interest of European industry to proceedwith Earth Observation applications, the way aheadremains to be agreed by all players, and in particularwith Member States.

In parallel, the EOPP campaigns continued to providesupport for the preparation of future spaceprogrammes and their users, including the fourcandidate Earth Explorer Core Missions. In 1998, theactivities focused on three different campaigns:INDREX 1996 (Indonesian Radar Experiment), CLARE1998 (Cloud Lidar and Radar Experiment) and DAISEX1998 (Digital Airborne Imaging SpectrometerExperiment).

Relations with Users

Some 7000 ERS SAR images, as well as the Low BitRate (LBR) data, were provided during the year toabout 1400 user groups worldwide for scientific,research and application demonstration projects.Outstanding results have been achieved, asdemonstrated by the 8000 publications generatedsince the launch of ERS-1 in 1991.

Commercial sales also increased significantly anddata utilisation moved further into the field ofoperational and commercial activities, with this typeof ERS data utilisation now exceeding 20% of theoverall requirements. Many value-adding companies,as well as public entities, are now offering informationservices based upon mature applications exploitingERS data.

The 3rd ERS Announcement of Opportunity, releasedin September 1997, focussed on specific applicationobjectives and on the exploitation of historicalarchives. There was strong interest on the part of theusers, some 335 responses being submitted, of which283 were accepted. These projects began to receivedata in the summer of 1998, and several PrincipalInvestigators have already submitted progressreports.

1998 was another important and busy year forEnvisat, with many interactions with the members ofthe Envisat Science Advisory Groups, who providedinputs on algorithm development and missionplanning, as well as on the geophysical validation ofthe Envisat instruments. The latter was coordinatedwithin the context of the Envisat calibration/validation plan and some of the responses to theEnvisat Announcement of Opportunity. Several of theinstrument science reports were completed duringthe year and should be published early in 1999. Theremainder should be completed during the first half of1999.

The first Envisat Announcement of Opportunity wasreleased at the end of December 1997 and theevaluation results were announced in November1998. This Announcement of Opportunity wasenthusiastically received by the user community,with 734 projects submitted, 524 of which havealready been accepted, while others are still underreview.

A research Announcement of Opportunity forMeteosat Second Generation has been preparedjointly by ESA and Eumetsat for release in early 1999,calling for scientific research and new productdevelopment propsals, as well as support tocalibration and validation activities. The selectionsshould be announced at the end of 1999.

1998 saw an increased awareness of the importanceof the promotion of Earth Observation. In March adedicated workshop was held in Paris and wasattended by Member State Delegates, professionals inthe field and industry representatives. A preliminarypromotion strategy was defined, and work willcontinue in 1999 to extend the awareness of thepotential of Earth Observation in general, andERS/Envisat in particular.

There was a special issue of the Journal of GeophysicalResearch (JGR) on Advances in Oceanography andSea Ice Research using ERS Observations.

The joint ESA/Eumetsat Science Advisory Groups,established to support Meteosat Second Generationand Metop/EPS, have continued to advise on thedefinition of instrument requirements, the

Earth Observation data and services can make asignificant and worthwhile contribution. In additionto participating in these external events around theWorld, ESA itself hosted a number of dedicatedWorkshops, including:• The Radar Altimeter-2 Calibration Workshop,

18-20 March 1998, Muntanya, Spain. The objective here was to define the calibration objectives, to develop a calibration strategy andto identify candidate calibration areas (jointlyhosted by ESA with IEEC and IAG).

• The 32nd ESLAB Symposium on Remote Sensing Methodology for Earth Observation and Planetary Exploration, 15-18 September 1998, ESTEC, The Netherlands. The objective in this case was to review the status of remote-sensing methodology — imaging spectroscopy, micro-wave sounding and mapping — in Earth Obser-vation and space exploration, and to exchange experiences in the two different fields of research.

• The Workshop on Emerging ScatterometerApplications, 5-7 October 1998, ESTEC. The objective was to review the current applications of scatterometer data products and to promote a dialogue between application development teams and the potential users of new products.

• The Workshop on Retrieval of Bio- and Geo-physical Parameters from SAR Data for Land Applications, 21-23 October 1998, ESTEC. The objective was to bring together World experts active in retrieving information from SAR data for land applications.

Earthnet

In 1998, most of the Earthnet Programme resourceswere devoted to the exploitation of the ERS missions.This included the planning of satellite operations togather data related not only to user requests, but alsoto the monitoring of various specific events (Merapi,Etna and Pichinicha volcanic eruptions; flooding inChina, Belgium, Bangladesh and Central America;effects of earthquakes in Turkey and the Azores;hurricanes; and the atlas of forest fires detectedthrough ATSR over Europe. In addition, ERS-1 and 2tandem data were collected over areas within thevisibility of the DLR stations of Ulan Bator andBishkek.

Other efforts included the provision of Earthnet on-line World Wide Web services (catalogue, images andinformation on Earth Watch initiative, GOMEproducts, SAR interferometric quick-looks, etc.).Accesses now exceed 270 000 per month from about12 000 different user terminals.

In terms of the improvement of ERS services,development of the enhanced Multi-Mission User

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However, the most significant event during the yearinvolving the scientific community was thepublication of the document describing the researchobjectives of the Earth Explorer Missions, namelyEarth Explorers: The Science and Research Element ofESA’s Living Planet Programme, as ESA SP-1227. Thebulk of this document was drafted by members of theEarth Science Advisory Committee, which is alsosupporting the evaluation of the 27 proposalsreceived in response to the recent Call for EarthExplorer Opportunity Missions.

Throughout the year, ESA was well represented atmajor International Symposia, Conferences andWorkshops focussing on environmental/climateissues and on applications where space-generated

development of algorithms and geophysicalvalidation. Here, specific mention must be made ofthe GERB, ASCAT, GRAS and GOME-2 instruments. TheASCAT and GOME-2 groups also support the ERSmission.

The four Earth Explorer Mission Advisory Groups,established to support the Phase-A study of the fourcandidate Earth Explorer Core Missions had a verybusy year as they had to advise on scientific studiesas well as helping to draft the Mission RequirementDocuments (MRD). Work on the four Reports forMission Selection was initiated, and the four MissionAdvisory Groups also supported the four specialmeetings organised at the behest of the DOSTAG tobrief the Delegations on progress to date. Scientistsalso participated in discussions with the Japanese onpossible liaison on the Earth Radiation Mission.

ESA SP-1227

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The Leon region of Nicaragua, in Central America, after the passage of Hurricane Mitch. A Spot Panchro image taken before the flooding has been overlaid here on multi-date ERS images taken before and after the event. Blue tones indicate flooded or heavily water-logged areas (courtesy of CNES, Spot Image and ESA)

Interface System (MUIS-B) progressed significantlywith some subsystems having already successfullypassed final acceptance tests. The MUIS-Barchitecture offers new features such as on-lineordering, increased performance (1 second responsetime), interferometry search, etc. In parallel, the

MUIS-C architectural design and its internal gatewayprotocol were under review. MUIS-C will also offer fullinteroperability with other internationally provideduser information services, based on the CEOS-definedCatalogue Interoperability Protocol.

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In addition, harmonisation of national and foreignfacilities was advanced with the provision of newstandard chains for the transcription onto DigitalLinear Tape (DLT) of the passes acquired (Gatineau,Ecuador, China, Russia stations and PAFs) and thegeneration of SAR quick-looks and standard products.

As regards Third Party Missions (Landsat, NOAA-Tiros,SeaWIFS, IRS-P3/MOS, JERS-1), the operationscontinued at the ESA-coordinated stations (Fucino,Kiruna, Maspalomas and Tromsø) coveringacquisition, archiving, product and quick-lookgeneration, and catalogue updating. Almost 3000products were distributed – mainly to commercialusers via the Eurimage distribution network. TheMaspalomas station has additionally continued tocarry out the acquisition and generation of Spot HRVquick-look data products in response to Spot Imagerequests.

New developments were initiated: for the Landsat-7and Spot-4 upgradings; for the system needed toarchive QSCAT data and to provide ERS-QSCAT co-located products at IFREMER in Brest (F); and for thedefinition of the MODIS ground segment.

Data User Programme (DUP)

The DUP now supports 37 value-adding companies,research laboratories and public institutions in theirefforts to bridge the gap between research results androbust operational services. Through products atinformation level, which are primarily derived fromESA Earth Observation missions, they target a varietyof applications, ranging from disaster management,through management of coastal waters andenvironmental surveys, to crop monitoring for agri-businesses.

Product developments are based on specificrequirements formulated by known customers, asignificant number of whom are to be found inDeveloping Countries. For the latter group, productsare validated in Europe prior to forming the basis forapplication demonstrations in these countries, whichare always conducted with the participation of localauthorities. In this context, the DUP benefits from thesupport of FAO in the validation of requirements andfeasibility of cooperation. This is especially importantin countries where ESA has no presence or suitableaffiliations.

ERS-2 Scatterometer data on Hurricane Mitch, the most destructive storm since the Great Hurricane of 1780, which claimed 22 000 lives in the EasternCaribbean

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International Aspects

On the European side, the Agency continued itscooperation with Eumetsat for the Meteosat SecondGeneration (MSG) and the METOP/EPS programmes.Formal consultations with Eumetsat, as well as withthe European Commission, on the Earth Observationinformation/service needs of the two entities yieldedpromising perspectives in both the Earth Watch andEarth Explorer fields. Consultations were also heldwith European national agencies concerning thepreparation and planning for Earth Watch missionswith strong national support.

As far international cooperation outside Europe wasconcerned, the Agency continued its fruitfulcooperation with Japan on ERS-1/JERS-1 (until theloss of JERS-1 in October), and on ERS-2. Within theESA/NASDA working group on disaster management,a priority pilot project on forest-fire monitoring inKalimantan/Borneo using ERS-1/2 and JERS-1 datawas initiated. Furthermore, the regular consultationscontinued in the framework of the ESA/Japan Earth

Observation Working Group, with a particular focuson potential future cooperation in the Earth Explorerfield. ESA continued to provide ERS-2 data to NASAand NOAA, and the agencies exchanged informationon their respective programmes with a view topotential future cooperation.

The joint pilot project on real-time sea-ice monitoringof the Northern Sea route was pursued by ESA andthe Russian Space Agency (RKA) and the possibility ofinstalling an ERS receiving station to cover the easternpart of the route is being investigated by RKA. Tosupport ESA-selected application projects over CentralSiberia (e.g. forest inventory), it is planned to set up anERS receiving station in Novosibirsk. Russian expertswere trained in SAR processing techniques at ESRINand a market survey for radar applications withinRussia was initiated with RKA support. Ukrainianvisiting scientists received training on SARinterferometry techniques for application to theecological monitoring of the Chernobyl ExclusionZone. In the context of cooperation with China, theongoing ERS pilot projects yielded very useful results,

Aerial view of the Tromsø satellitestation in Norway

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in particular during the catastrophic floods withinCentral China in summer 1998. Based on this co-operation, a new project was agreed to establish aforest inventory of the whole of China using ERS-1/ERS-2 tandem data. ESA also supported theEuro-Asian Space Week in Singapore in November.

Agreements allowing the acquisition and distributionof ERS data were signed for small mobile receivingstations, developed jointly by entities from The

Netherlands and the United Kingdom, to be deployedin Bangladesh and Indonesia.

ESA again pursued its active role within theCommittee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS)and, in particular, supported the initiative on anIntegrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS), whichwill guide its future contributions to programmes forglobal observation.