THE EUROPEAN Space Agency (ESA) has re-affirmed in a letter to NASA and other programme partners its commitment to the proposed Alpha international space station.
A formal decision on European involvement in the Alpha, however, is not expected to be made until the 18-20 October European Ministers' Council meeting, in Toulouse, France. The agency hopes that the reduced $2.3 billion 1996-2000 space station budget, about $500 million short of the original estimate, will then be agreed.
Some ESA partners are critical of the project, given the tight financial climate and incessant delays since ESA joined in 1984.
ESA's contribution to the Alpha will be the smaller and re-named Columbus Orbital Facility, which is unlikely to be hooked up to the space station until 2002.
The Ariane 5 and an Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) will be offered for logistic services. The ATV will also be offered for orbital-manoeuvring purposes, in return for ESA's operating expenses on the Alpha. The proposed Ariane 5-launched crew-transfer vehicle has been dropped to save costs.
Thomas Reiter of Germany has been selected by ESA to fly the 135-day Euromir mission aboard the Russian space station, the Mir 1, starting on 22 August. Sweden's Christa Fuglesang appeared to have been favourite but Germany contributes more than Sweden does to the ESA budget.
Source: Flight International
