The European Space Agency will release a tender this month for six 15-month studies of exploration architectures covering lunar, Mars, near-Earth object and Lagrange point missions. The studies are in preparation for the 2008 ESA member-state ministerial conference. That will determine the next stage of the agency's work on a new launch vehicle to replace the Ariane 5 an improved version of the Russian Soyuz manned spacecraft and new exploration goals.
ESA held an industry information day on 18 December. "We had around 90 companies attend. There were smaller companies as well as the usual companies [like EADS and Alcatel]. The studies are about meeting European interests," says Bernard Hufenbach of ESA's human spaceflight directorate. Hufenbach says ESA will conduct its own internal studies as well as funding the industry work, and adds that parallel exploration discussions with NASA and other international partners will continue.
Earlier ESA studies will also feed into the project, including the results of one study, led by Alcatel Alenia Space, that concluded ESA could provide robotic cargo delivery for a lunar outpost.
Source: Flight International
