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During the 1990s, the European Space Agency developed and flight-tested a small unmanned capsule, known as Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator. The agency revisited the concept a decade later, as European hopes for building a next-generation spacecraft in cooperation with Russia had hit political snags.
The Russian-European space cooperation to face moment of truth Published: 2008 March 16 The European Space Agency, ESA, will continue advancing its manned space program with or without Russian cooperation, Europe’s space chief said. Speaking to reporters in Kourou, French Guiana, a few hours before a successful launch of the continent’s new-generation ATV spacecraft, Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA's Director General, said that Europe would pursue new directions in manned space flight, however the pace of any such program would depend heavily on the ability of Europe and Russia to pull resources. Dordain then stressed that human space flight would not be conducted at the expense of ESA’s unmanned missions, such as studies of the Earth climate. "I believe one day we will have a next-generation crew transportation system, however we do have other priorities," Dordain said. The ESA chief quoted a popular argument often used in debate on space flight that the Moon was there for millions of years and its exploration could wait for few decades, while the threats of climate change should be dealt with urgently. Considering the virtual immunity of unmanned programs from any budgetary cuts, Dordain singled out cooperation with Russia as the only route to a wider-scope and faster-paced program of human space flight in Europe. However, Dordain stressed that Europe would enter any joint venture in the field only as an equal partner. This was a reaction to recent efforts by the Russians to take all major roles in the development of the next-generation manned spacecraft, known as ACTS, essentially leaving Europe to bankroll the project. Dordain emphasized that cooperation does not mean "transmission of funds" from Europe to Russia, and that Russian and European space industries would have to share the development of key elements of the vehicle. Although both Russian and European officials insisted that they could still reach a deal on the combined development of the future spacecraft, both sides appeared preparing to take their separate ways, in case the cooperation was deemed impossible. According to Daniel Sacotte, Director for Human Spaceflight at ESA, the two sides still agree that the development of the new transport system for lunar exploration would be very expensive and, therefore, Russia and Europe should be interested in its joint development. "The concept is still on the table," Sacotte said, "However is it politically acceptable for Russia? We will see." The ACTS project might have fallen victim of the Russian government’s own policies. As the Russian economy recovered from the post-Soviet crisis, the Russian government wasted no time in confronting the West on a number of political issues. Simultaneously, the Russian state-controlled media unleashed a massive anti-western propaganda, accusing the West of various anti-Russian conspiracies. Under such a climate, the ACTS project quickly became a political "hot potato," seen by many in Russia as a "surrender" of Russian independence in manned space flight. Not coincidently, at the beginning of 2008, when the time had come to discuss the rights and responsibilities of Russia and Europe in the ACTS project, Russian officials apparently demanded all major development roles in the project for the Russian space industry. Obviously, Europe wanted an equal role in the project and was not interested in paying scarce space Euros for a Russian-led enterprise.
Going it alone: Reentry demonstrator In case, Europe would fail to strike a deal with the Russians, ESA officials drafted a "going it alone" plan. Capitalizing on the success of the ATV program, European developers revisited the old idea of replacing the ship’s cargo section with a retrievable crew module. “What we believe is that we need to make something simple,” Sacotte said. The solution would be a reentry demonstrator, launched by the Ariane-5 rocket. According to Sacotte, the agency plans to propose this concept to the European ministerial conference in November 2008, when it holds its once in every three years meeting to consider the space budget. If approved, the vehicle could fly within five-six years, Sacotte said. It is likely the vehicle would be a cone-shaped, similar to the historic Apollo spacecraft and NASA's next-generation Orion crew module. Beyond this first step, Europe would still have to make major investments into its manned space program if it wants to build a full-fledged space transportation system. European space officials identified "man-rating" the Ariane-5 rocket, as one of the most expensive aspects of such an effort. The "man-rating process" includes outfitting the rocket with extensive diagnostics and analysis avionics, which could detect the impeding failure of crucial systems onboard and trigger a crew escape mechanism during launch. "It might cost a lot, but it is a possibility," Sacotte said. To complicate things further, the Ariane-5 would probably need a new launch pad in Kourou, dedicated to the manned space program, since the only available facility is being heavily used for commercial missions. Even then, with the Ariane-5’s current capabilities, the ATV-derived manned ship could only reach low-Earth orbit. For deep-space missions, assembly in the Earth orbit would be required, along with the likely development of a next-generation heavy-lifting rocket. "Is this (plan) interesting to the Russian space industry or not remains to be seen, but it is a part of the discussion," Sacotte said, “What we want to do is to make the next step in the manned space flight with or without Russia."
APPENDIX The Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator, ARD, development chronology: 1998 Oct. 12: The first launch of the original ARD capsule, during the third test launch of the Ariane-5 rocket. The ARD flew on a suborbital trajectgory reaching maximum altitude of 830 kilometers and then splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, within five kilometers of the projected point. Page author: Anatoly Zak; Last update: March 17, 2008 Page editor: Alain Chabot; Last edit: March 16, 2008 All rights reserved
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A mockup of the European ATV cargo ship. Copyright © 2005 Anatoly Zak
A follow-on version of the ATV spacecraft (right) is shown docked to the International Space Station, along with a European-built rescue vehicle (left). Click to enlarge. Credit: ESA
The Ariane-5 rocket with the ATV spacecraft rolls out from its assembly building on its way to the launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, on March 7, 2008. Click to enlarge. Copyright © 2008 Anatoly Zak
ESA officials outline the ATV mission to European dignitaries and journalists on March 8, 2008 at the Jupiter building in Kourou, French Guiana. Left to right: John Ellwood, ATV Project Manager; Jean-Jacques Dordain, the ESA Director General; Jean-Yves Le Gall, Arainespace Director General; Yannick d'Escatha, CNES President. Click to enlarge. Copyright © 2008 Anatoly Zak
A speculative drawing showing the ACTS spacecraft in lunar orbit. Click to enlarge. Copyright © 2008 Anatoly Zak
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