Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH
Daimler-Benz Aerospace (Dasa) is planning to launch a commercially funded industrial-applications mission using the free-flying, retrievable Eureca space platform from the US Space Shuttle in 2000.
A European Space Agency-funded flight of the German-built Eureca, equipped with 71 different experiments, was conducted in 1992-3 after deployment from the STS46/Atlantis. It was retrieved after 11 months in orbit by the STS57/Endeavour, but budget cuts then grounded the programme.
Dasa is promoting the commercial use of the Eureca as a platform for various types of experiments and technology demonstrations and has signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates' Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training to use the space platform to conduct telecommunications experiments. Dasa is also negotiating with other potential users of the Eureca.
The German company, meanwhile, partnered by Russia's Energia and Boeing, has been selected by NASA to demonstrate space-based remote-sensing and servicing technologies for possible use on the International Space Station (ISS), using the Inspector robotic free-flier which was developed by Dasa and delivered to the Mir space station in October. The Inspector will begin tests outside the Mir this month.
The ISS Inspector will be Shuttle-launched in 2001 to demonstrate video navigation, remote crew command-and-control functions and viewing capability.
Source: Flight International
