43

The highlights of the year for the Directorate as a whole were:

– Successful launch of XMM in December: the launch and subsequent operation of the

satellite by ESOC was flawless.

– ISO 9001 certification of ESOC and the Redu and Villafranca stations in November: all

XMM and MSG project activities were executed according to ISO 9001.

– Creation of an External Customer Services Unit at ESOC: the purpose of this unit is to fully

utilise ESOC’s remaining capacity and so reduce the facility costs to ESA programmes;

ESOC now has contracts worth 27 M€ with seven external customers and half of the

network support is for external customers.

– Agreement to provide ESTEC test services through market-oriented arrangements in co-

operation with IABG (D) and Intespace (F).

– Co-operating with the Directorate for Industrial Matters and Technology Programmes in

preparing the new three-year proposal for the Agency’s Technology Research Programme

(TRP) and General Support Technology Programme (GSTP).

The highlights for the individual Departments are summarised below.

Mission Operations

ECS and MarecsECS-4 and 5 continued to provide successful communications services to Eutelsat throughout

the year, with the operations conducted from the Redu (B) ground station, from which

Marecs-B2, currently leased by ESA to Nuova Telespazio, is also controlled.

UlyssesUlysses continues to follow a south-going trajectory since crossing the ecliptic plane in May

1998. The spacecraft, now is in its 10th year of operation, continued to provide scientific data

from all of its on-board experiments, which are still functioning flawlessly. Real-time daily

operations are conducted by an ESA flight control team, located at the Jet Propulsion

Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena (USA).

HuygensThe Cassini/Huygens spacecraft is performing well as it commences the third year of its

seven-year journey to Saturn, having already correctly performed three of the four fly-by

manoeuvres that will enable it to reach its target in summer 2004. The second fly-by occurred

when the spacecraft made its second pass of Venus, coming within 600 km of its surface on

24 June, and the third on 18 August when it flew by the Earth at a minimum altitude of

1171 km. Having also made its closest approach to the Sun at a perihelion distance of

0.72 AU, the spacecraft then headed out towards Jupiter, where it will perform its final fly-by

manoeuvre on 31 December 2000. Both the Probe and its scientific instruments are in

excellent health.

XMMXMM was launched on 10 December (on the first commercial flight of Ariane-5). All

operations during the critical Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) were conducted as per the

planned timeline, from the Mission Operations Control Centre at ESOC, allowing switch-on of

the scientific instruments to begin in the first week of 2000. Routine XMM mission operations

will also be conducted from ESOC, with telemetry, telecommand and tracking provided by

ESA’s Perth (Aus) and Kourou (Fr. Guiana) ground stations.

ERS-1 and ERS-2These two remote-sensing spacecraft were operated smoothly from ESOC using the Kiruna (S)

and Villafranca (E) stations. The payloads of both spacecraft were still in excellent condition,

Technical and Operational Support

and data delivery to ESRIN met the year’s performance objectives. Preparations for the

replacement of on-board attitude-control software to extend ERS-2 gyroscope life were largely

completed, and techniques were also developed for optimal use of the available power.

Missions in Preparation

Cluster-IITransfer of the Odenwald (D) antenna to Villafranca (E) was successfully completed and four

system validation tests were conducted between ESOC and the flight-model spacecraft.

Mission operations preparation activities were also completed, allowing the training and

simulations programme to start in early 2000.

EnvisatPreparations at ESOC for Envisat’s operation proceeded according to plan, and the second

system validation test was successfully completed. The status of system development and

integration is such that ESOC will be ready to execute the LEOP and routine-phase operations

as planned.

IntegralGround-segment activities concentrated in 1999 on the detailed design of major Mission

Operation Centre (MOC) subsystems and culminated with the integration and testing of the

first deliveries to be used in the system validation tests planned for early 2000. The design of

the interfaces with the Science Ground Segment and with the DSN ground station at

Goldstone (USA) also progressed significantly. The architectural design for upgrading the

ground stations within the ESA network is progressing as planned.

ProbaProba mission operations will be conducted from the Redu (B) ground station and the

associated preparation phase has commenced. The SCOS-II system will be used for both the

satellite test/integration and flight phases to reduce costs.

SMART-1Following the mission’s approval in September, work on the ground segment started for a

launch in 2002. A Ground Segment Requirements Review held in October was completed

successfully.

RosettaProcurement activities for ESA’s new 35 m deep-space antenna, to be sited at New Norcia,

about 130 km north of Perth (W. Australia), proceeded according to plan, with site-

preparation activities also well underway. Definition of the Rosetta System Database, a

common element for integration and testing as well as mission operations, was concluded

and database population activities were started.

Mars ExpressWith a fixed launch date in mid-2003, ground-segment activities progressed well, with the

Ground Segment Requirements Review being successfully completed in October.

FIRST/PlanckThe FIRST/Planck project was supported throughout the year both in terms of the definition

of the space and ground segments and mission analysis.

44

Ground Systems Engineering

Flight Control SystemsESOC successfully upgraded its Mission Control System, known as ‘SCOS-2000’. Using state

of the art technology (it received the OMG ’99 international award), it will underpin all ESOC

control facilities for the next decade. Compared with similar available systems, SCOS-2000 is

functionally extremely rich and can also be used also as an EGSE system.

Flight DynamicsThere was a steady increase during the year in preparation efforts for projects with imminent

launches, in particular XMM, Cluster-II, MSG and Envisat, and for the interplanetary missions

Rosetta, Mars-Express, and SMART-1. The team and software facilities that supported the

XMM launch in December will largely move over to support Integral. Work continued on the

finalisation of GPS- and DORIS-related software facilities for ‘precise orbit determination’ in

the context of the Envisat and future Earth Explorer and Earth Watch missions.

Ground Station EngineeringThe new 35 m deep-space antenna to be located at New Norcia in Western Australia has been

designed not only to have a very high receive sensitivity and power transmission capability

in S- and X-band, but also to allow later extension for Ka-band reception.

The new generation of data-processing equipment installed at the Kourou

(Fr. Guiana), Villafranca (E) and Perth (Aus) ground stations was validated

and handed over to support the XMM launch. The reconfiguration of the

Kiruna ground station needed to support Envisat was completed and is

already being used to support ERS. The new ground-station facilities at

Villafranca (E) to support Cluster-II operations will be handed over at the

beginning of 2000.

Development of the Intermediate Frequency and Modem System (IF-MS), a

fully digital system that should replace all analogue receivers, modulators

and tracking systems at ESA stations from 2001, is close to completion.

SimulationImplementation of the new version of the Software Infrastructure for Modelling Satellites

(SIMSAT) continued in 1999. Planned to be available in mid-2000, it will be used for the

development of the Rosetta and Mars-Express simulators, as well as for subsequent missions.

Mission Analysis and Space Debris Several future ESA lunar and interplanetary missions, e.g. SMART-1, LISA, SOLO, Mercury

Cornerstone Mission, will use solar electric propulsion as their primary drive. A significant

effort was therefore made in 1999 to develop the necessary software tools for trajectory

optimisation and mission tra d e - o f fs. For missions with large energ y

requirements, the combination of low-thrust propulsion and gravity assists is a

promising option. The analysis of missions to the L2 libration point in the Earth-

Sun system (e.g. GAIA) continued.

Two 24-hour small-size debris detection experiments were carried out using the

FGAN 34 m L-band radar, which can detect 2 cm-sized objects at 1000 km

altitude. Development of the 1 m Zeiss telescope at Teide Observatory is nearing

completion. Test observations in the geostationary orbit have shown an

unexpectedly large population of uncatalogued objects as small as 20 cm,

which are probably the result of explosions.

The ESA Space Debris Mitigation Handbook was issued.

45

The GAIA transfer trajectory from GTO

to the L2 libration point

E SA’s Optical Ground Station at the

Teide Observatory

Mechanical Engineering

Major milestones were achieved in the development and verification of mechanical systems

and mechatronic devices. In preparation for the challenging GAIA astrometry mission, an

optical interferometry test bench was built to demonstrate the ability to measure optical

p a t h - d i f f e rence variations with an accuracy of ±15 picometres, corresponding to a

4 microarcsec angular resolution for the GAIA mission. A system-level deployment test of a

full-scale, 20 m x 20 m rigid solar-sail structure was successfully completed at the ESA Crew

Training Centre in Cologne (D), within the framework of a joint development undertaking by

ESA, DLR and Invent GmbH.

The development of innovative miniature space-robotics devices for planetary surface-science

support, including micro rovers and robotically assembled deep drilling systems, showed

very encouraging results. ESA participated in the highly successful in-orbit demonstrations of

robotic satellite-servicing technologies on the Japanese ETS-7 mission, verifying the

performance of advanced space-robot control schemes developed under the ESA Technology

Demonstration Programme. Furthermore, the Telescience Support Unit (TSU) developed under

ESTEC’s leadership for the FluidPac facility on the Foton-12 mission provided the first

demonstration of interactive ‘telescience-mode’ operation of microgravity payloads from

ground user stations.

Support provided in the implementation of the X38 programme using advanced analysis

facilities and technology developments (under TRP and GSTP) contributed to the successful

delivery of major mechanical elements for the V201 spaceflight vehicle to NASA’s Johnson

Space Center, including the equipment pallets, a large section of the aft structure and the

metallic rudders. The success of this rapid prototyping approach at ESTEC is leading to wider

cooperation in the operational NASA CRV programme.

The International Space Station pro g ramme was supported with the development of

m i c ro g ravity instrument technologies, including a tiny, fully automated, telescience-

compatible microscope fitting into the 0.6 litre container volume of the European Modular

Cultivation System (EMCS). A number of similar technology advances were achieved for

material sciences, including the successful demonstration of microwave heating of zeolite

solutions, the use of self-supporting carbon-based heaters at temperatures up to 1800 °C,

and the testing of an active alignment system for the compensation of instrument

deformations in fluid-science experiments using interferometry.

Thermal-Control and Life-Support TechnologyThe main thermal-control challenges continued to be in the

areas of efficient heat-transfer control using single- and two-

phase systems and the provision of very low temperatures,

particularly for space-science missions such as

FIRST/Planck.

D evelopment of two-phase technology was further

consolidated, with particular emphasis on its adaptation to

future telecommunications and navigation satellites and

constellations, as well as thermal control for instruments,

e l e c t ronics boxes and future mini/nano-satellites.

Technology activities were initiated to develop miniature

two-phase loops and heat pipes that can cool the printed-

circuit boards inside electronics boxes or act as highly

efficient ‘thermal straps’. At the other end of the size

spectrum, work continued on developing deploya b l e

radiator systems based on two-phase technology.

46

The picometre-resolution optical-path-

difference measurement test bench for

GAIA

A solar-sail deployment test at the EA C

Crew Training Centre, in Cologne

ESA operators during a critical phase of

the ETS-7 in-orbit robotics experiments

The X38 prototype Crew Return Vehicle

(CRV), with the ESA-supported elements

highlighted

For the lower tempera t u re scale, the basic

development of a pulse-tube cooler, foreseen as a

simpler and therefore more reliable alternative to

existing Stirling-cycle coolers, was completed. Far

lower temperatures than can be achieved with these

machines alone are required, however, for cooling

the highly-sensitive detectors needed for scientific

missions. In this context, work continued on the

open-loop dilution refrigerator intended to provide

0 .1 K tempera t u res for the Planck mission

(engineering model under test), and on the recyclable

0 .3 K He3 sorption re f r i g e ra tor for FIRST

(manufacture in progress). In the nano-cryogenics

field, work continued on the solid-state NIS cooler

designed to achieve 0.1 K for small detectors.

As far as physico-chemical techniques are

concerned, major progress was made by upgrading

a i r - rev i talisation hard wa re and assembling and

successfully testing a complete sys t e m

d e m o n s t ra tor sized to fit in one half of an

International Standard Payload Rack and suitable for

a three-person crew. Development of atmosphere

trace-gas monitoring equipment based on infrared

absorption spectroscopy continued, with the aim of

achieving the same level of development as for the

air-revitalisation system. A study was started to

analyse ‘blind’ gas mixtures for NASA (contract from

W i l ey La b o ra tories with SINTEF) in order to

demonstrate the applicability of current trace-gas

monitoring equipment for use on the International

Space Station.

Propulsion and AerothermodynamicsIn the chemical-propulsion domain, rocket engines for spacecraft attitude and orbit control

a re being improved and market-oriented pro p u l s i o n - s ystem components are being

d eveloped. The industrialisation of advanced-composite solid propellants for launcher

applications, and the use of new, non-toxic propellants for spacecraft applications are being

p u rsued. The development of micro - p ropulsion cold-gas thrusters and feed sys t e m s

progressed well, such that a system is now baselined for ESA’s GOCE mission.

In the electric-propulsion field, important new development efforts together with European

industry were initiated, e.g. the electric-propulsion system to be used as the primary engine

for ESA’s SMART-1 mission, a new, high-power Hall-effect thruster for the next-generation

European geostationary telecommunications satellites and for constellations in low Earth

orbits, and a field-emission electric-propulsion system to be flight-tested

on the Shuttle Orbiter in 2001 and used on new, high-precision scientific

missions and on micro-satellites.

In aerothermodynamics, major efforts were devoted to the definition of

the X38 aerothermodynamic database, post-flight analysis of the ARD

black-out, and the commissioning of the large ‘Scirocco’ plasma wind

tunnel, which will be used for X38 thermal-pro t e c t i o n - s ys t e m

qualification and for materials testing for planetary missions. The safe

venting of unused propellants from Ariane-5’s attitude-control system

47

T h ree-m an-rated air-rev i talisation

s ystem demonstra to r, with ox y g e n -

generation and CO 2 concentration and

processing assemblies

The SMART-1 PPS 1350 thruster during

firing tests at SNECMA (F)

was successfully demonstrated both theoretically and

experimentally. At CNES’s request, an evaluation of Vulcain-2

side-loadings was initiated in close cooperation with industry,

in which nozzle film cooling and turbine exhaust-gas injection

effects on flow separation are being studied.

Electrical Engineering

The eve r - i n c reasing operational performance and lifetime

demands on spacecraft have led to a number of innovative

solutions, covering the lifecycle of a space mission.

The first is the verification of system and mission requirements

very early in the project life cycle by compre h e n s i ve

simulation using ESA’s Project Test Bed approach. This has

already been done very successfully for a number of missions,

such as SMART-1, Rosetta, Solar Orbiter and CESAR. Compatibility of the operational

constraints of several instruments mounted on the same platform can be checked, as well as

ove rall platform constraints. Specific issues can then be investigated by refining the

modelling of certain aspects of the spacecraft (e.g. electrical propulsion for SMART-1).

Secondly, in the drive for increased performances from, for example, micro- and nano-

satellites, antennas and solar panels compete for the limited surface area available. One

possibility may be to combine them into a single element via the SOLar ANTenna (SOLANT)

concept. This is possible thanks to two innovative breakthroughs: the use of thin-film solar

cells and their inclusion in the electromagnetic antenna design to achieve a compact and

optimised structure. The SOLANT concept, developed together with EPFL (CH) and IMT (CH),

can be an enabling technology for space missions such as science probes and landers, and it

also has interesting spin-off potential for terrestrial applications.

Thirdly, once in orbit there is a growing need for increased visual monitoring of complex

operations, as exemplified by ESA’s development of the Visual Monitoring Camera (VMC) in

co-operation with OIP (B) and IMEC (B). CMOS Active Pixel Sensor (APS) technology was

selected for its radiation tolerance and integration potential. Two of these 60 x 60 x 100 mm3

ground-commanded cameras were included on XMM to provide visual information on, for

example, solar-panel deployment. Similar cameras will be used on Cluster-II, and probably

also on Mars Express. Development work is continuing, to produce smaller cameras with

higher resolution and allowing video-like image sequencing using integrated image

compression.

Product Assurance

Product Assurance Support for ESA ProjectsThe PA activities for electronic components, materials and software helped to ensure

successful missions for several ESA satellites undergoing their final launch verifications

during the year.

The Components Laboratory completed more than 70 failure and components analyses in

1999. One such failure analysis was performed on a state-of-the-art three-dimensional

packaging technology used for stacking DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) dies into

a gigabit solid-state mass-memory unit being built for the Cluster-II, Envisat and Metop

projects. This investigation helped to improve the design of a critical stack assembly tool,

which had caused microcracking in the die.

48

Vulcain-2 mach-contour design

results

A 4 x 2 array antenna operating at

4 GHz integrated with solar cells, with

an MMIC amplifier on the back side

powered by the solar cells. The antenna

gain is 13 dBi (passive) and 30 dBi with

the MMIC amplifier. The 9 solar cells

produce 5 V and 100 mW

In addition, major efforts were devoted during the year to supporting commercial projects

being undertaken by European industry. The Materials Laboratory, for example, investigated

possible causes for the unexpected power losses due to rapid solar-array degradation

reported on several spacecraft.

ESOC Qualified to ISO 9001 StandardAfter almost two years of intensive preparatory work, ESOC was awarded the international

ISO 9001 quality-standard certificate in November by National Quality Assurance (NQA), an

independent accredited registrar for ISO compliance. ESA thus became the first space agency

in Europe to have one of its major facilities certified to the ISO 9001 standard.

The certification process had begun in June. More than 70 documents were prepared to

describe how ESOC develops and delivers its products and services and the associated

quality-assurance provisions. The certification audit was conducted at the end of October by

two specialised auditors, visiting Darmstadt, Villafranca and Redu. It showed full compliance

with the ISO 9001 standard, confirming the effectiveness of the new quality-management

system as a complement to the proven technical excellence of ESOC.

European Space Component Cooperation (ESCC) InitiativeThis initiative has established a framework via which ESA, the national agencies,

industry and the component manufacturers can work in close cooperation on all

space-component-related matters. Particular goals are to achieve agreed and

e f f e c t i ve methods of working, reduce component costs, establish mutual

recognition of capabilities throughout the European space community, establish

a co-funded components technology programme, promote the European system

internationally, and sharing of the investments in and costs of all basic activities.

A number of important results were achieved in 1999, including:

– the completion and approval of ‘Component Technology Dossiers’, providing

recommendations for a five-year strategic R&D plan for component technologies

– the first issue of a European Preferred Parts List

– the preparation for the transfer of the ESA/SCC Specification System to the new European

Space Components Coordination Specification System

– the setting up of a European Component Information Exchange System (ESCIES), giving

the European space community ready access to a host of space-component information.

European Cooperation for Space StandardisationThe European Cooperation for Space Standardisation (ECSS) aims to develop a single coherent

set of commercially oriented standards for use in all European space activities. ESA fully

supports the development of these ECSS sta n d a rd s ,

which replace the existing PSS documents as well as

c reate completely new sta n d a rds not prev i o u s l y

covered, by providing experts and convenors to the

various active working groups, by publishing and

distributing the new standards, and by providing the

ECSS Secretariat.

It was a very productive year, with over 20 new ECSS

standards published covering engineering, management

and product-assurance subjects, bringing the present

total to 42. In addition, the Secretariat has developed its

own web site (www.estec.esa.nl/ecss) and generated

training material, including a video introduction to ECSS.

Last but not least, three of the ECSS standards were

accepted as European Standards (EN).

49

Focussed-ion-beam investigation of a

defective memory device (DRAM die)

Solar-cell testing in the ESTEC Materials

Laboratory

The ESOC ISO 9001 Working Gro u p

receiving the Certificate from Mr David

J o h n s tone (right), Chairman of NQA,

accompanied by (on his left) Mr

Antonio Rodotà, ESA’s Director General,

and Mr David Dale, ESA’s Director of

Technical and Operational Support

External and Media Relations

ESTECIn 1999 the ESTEC PR Office broke all records for arranging and

co-hosting events, conducting visits for professional groups and

politically high-ranking guests, organising media briefings, and

striving to enhance internal corporate spirit. The PR staff were

present at 167 different occasions, involving a total of more

than 8000 participants.

As the largest ESA Establishment – including the always very

popular and crowd-pulling Space Expo visitor centre – ESTEC

provides an ideal setting for the visual media and for interviews

with space experts, as the numbers confirm: 230 media

representatives were received during the the year, including 54

TV units. They are especially drawn by the new ESA TV

Broadcast Service and on-site TV studio in the Erasmus building.

The Erasmus building is also the home of the newly opened User Centre for the International

Space Station. This marketing and information focus for the Manned Spaceflight and

Microgravity Directorate, with its full-scale mock-up of Columbus, is also proving very

attractive for the media and special-interest groups, making it another useful tool for

communicating the ESA message to different audiences.

ESTEC again organised ‘public tours’ (together with Space Expo) during several vacation

periods. These are proving such a success that the door to the general public will be opened

even wider for 2000, with a Space Train to shuttle guests around the site for a ‘look behind

the scenes’ at Europe’s largest space centre. Dedicated stops on the tour will include the

Erasmus User Centre and a visit to see real spacecraft in the ESTEC Test Centre, and an audio-

guide to ESA and ESTEC will be available to visitors. This new initiative should further foster

the cooperative PR efforts between ESTEC and Space Expo.

Among the highlights of 1999 were: the visit by the STS-95 Shuttle mission crew, including

John Glenn and ESA's first Spaniard in space, Pedro Duque, in January; the grand opening of

the Erasmus User Centre in June; the arrival of the full-scale model of Envisat in the grounds

of Space Expo; the strong involvement in the 50th Anniversary IAF Congress in Amsterdam

in October; the happy moments around the XMM/Ariane-504 launch in December; and the

year-round interview activities with ESA's new Dutch astronaut, André Kuipers.

50

Dutch State Secretary Monique de Vries

cutting the ribbon to unveil the

full-scale Columbus training model and

open the Erasmus User Centre on

28 June

Wa tching the solar eclipse fro m

N o o rdwijk (ESTEC/Space Expo) and

Noyon (F) on 11 August

The truly unforgettable event of 1999, however, was undoubtedly the day when the Sun

darkened over Europe. The solar eclipse on 11 August was watched by hundreds of visitors

and celebrated with a ‘space concert’ at Space Expo. In addition, 400 ESA staff from

Noordwijk braved an adventurous overnight bus excursion to the French town of Noyen to –

regrettably not quite! – observe the total eclipse, in the company of thousands of amateur

astronomers gathered from all over Europe.

ESOCJudging by the growing numbers of requests

for visits and information received at ESOC

f rom the media and the general public,

interest in ESA’s space activities is on the

increase in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The Space Day organised by Hessischer

Rundfunk in late January provided 16 hours

of uninterrupted infotainment and fun for

several thousand radio listeners. Experts from

ESOC were on hand to quench the thirst for

information of space fans young and old. An

Industry Workshop on 9/10 June drew

m o re than 100 industrial re p re s e n ta t i ve s ,

who were keen to learn about the future

c o m m e rcialisation of ESOC’s external

services.

The new Web site dedicated to ESOC was opened in late June.

The Cassini/Huygens spacecraft fly-by of the Earth went smoothly, after several months of

providing regular information to the German Press and the general public. The IADC

Conference on 11-13 October devoted to space debris, attracted strong interest from the

media, whose questions focussed on protecting the Earth from space debris and cleaning up

the space environment.

The night of the Leonids (17/18 November) was followed by

media representatives and thousands of members of the

public, who could chat with an ESOC expert via the Internet.

In close collaboration with ESA’s Directorate of Science, ESOC

provided graphical illustrations of the Leonid storm live on

the Web for the first time.

On 30 November, ESOC was awarded ISO 9001 certification,

the first ESA centre and the first space opera t i o n s

organisation in Europe to be ISO certified. Pride in this

achievement was further enhanced by the successful launch

of XMM on 10 December, witnessed from ESOC by more than

500 guests from the political, industrial and scientific

communities, as well as the children of the class that had won

the XMM drawing competition in Germany.

51

The XMM launch-associated e vent at

ESOC on 10 December

The IADC Conference in pro g ress at

ESOC in October