Julian Moxon/TOULOUSE
Perhaps it was the fabulously opulent setting of Toulouse's seventeenth century town hall that stimulated the eleventh- hour release of sufficient funds to guarantee Europe's future aboard the Alpha international space station.
Surrounded as they were by the trappings of past Toulouse wealth, and fed on the delights of Midi-Pyrenees cuisine, the 14 European Space Agency (ESA) ministers responsible for space not only agreed to provide enough money for the station and the Ariane 5 launcher, but managed to complete the rest of the agenda ahead of the timetable at their recent meeting.
This was unexpected, for despite weeks of preparatory meetings aimed at clearing the way, numerous stumbling blocks remained which could have scuppered a funding deal - not least Italy's severe budget difficulties, which threatened disaster right up to the end of the conference.
The two previous ESA ministerial conferences - at Granada in 1992 and Munich in 1989 - had failed to produce a final agreement on space-station involvement, or on the entire future direction of the agency's programmes. The Ariane 5 launcher remained funded throughout, but the Hermes manned spaceplane - a French suggestion which proved over-ambitious - was dropped, while the Columbus orbital project supported by Germany was severely curtailed.
A positive decision was considered vital not only for the future of ESA, but also to ensure than Europe could supply the revised Columbus Orbital Facility (COF) in time, as well as the Automated Transfer Vehicle now promoted by France. ESA was also looking for enough money to begin studies into a Crew Rescue Vehicle/Crew Transfer Vehicle which would ride atop the Ariane 5 to the station, and for future development of the Ariane 5 itself, plus add-on elements to guarantee the launcher's continued reliability.
An important side issue was the question of ESA's science programmes, strongly supported by the scientific community because of the virtually flawless performance of the resulting missions. At stake were the Horizon 2000 and 2000 Plus programmes and their associated satellites, such as the Rosetta, Integral and X-Ray Multi Mirror Telescope. The UK delegation arrived at Toulouse looking for a cut of no less than a 25% in science spending, but such was the elevated spirit of the meeting that it walked away having agreed to the funding level remaining fixed to the year 2000. This does not take inflation into account (unless it rises above 3%) - so the agreement represents a slight decrease in real terms, but most agree that the Horizon effort will remain intact.
Finance tightened
The UK, backed by Germany and France, did, however, push through a much-needed review of the way in which ESA spends its money. The 14 agreed that, henceforth, fixed-price contracts would be the norm where possible, along with financial incentives, risk-sharing and financial penalties. "We very much welcome this positive effort to tighten up on the efficiency and effectiveness of the agency," says one UK official. "It sets a whole new path for ESA." The agency will also be looking for reductions in administration costs of 12% over the next five years.
France, like the other countries, is beset by budget problems, yet was so determined to maintain support for the space station that it cut back on two of its national satellite programmes - the Spot 5 and Stentor satellites. In return, Germany made a commitment to provide more support for the Ariane 5 Evolution programme. The UK finally agreed to enter the Ariane 5 funding effort and will be providing 2% of the money needed for infrastructure development.
Agreement was also forthcoming on the need to do something about balancing the industrial returns to ESA countries against their contributions. A return of 0.96% was agreed at the Granada meeting, a level that has not been reached in Italy, which under the Toulouse accord will now receive an increased share of COF work.
In committing, finally, to the international space station, Europe has cleared the way to join Canada, Japan, Russia and the USA in the largest international technology programme ever undertaken. "It is remarkable," says one German delegate, "that European countries have put their financial problems behind them and agreed at last to fund the space station."
The European public no doubt agrees, although a recent opinion poll in Europe found that the French public is more supportive of involvement in the Orbital Facility than its German counterpart, even though the latter has the largest funding burden. "It is typically conservative of Germans," said the delegate, adding: "I think their attitude will change when they realise what this means for global co-operation and world peace."
The agreement in figures
SPACE STATION ALPHA
ECU2,651.2 million ($1,980 million) between 1996-2004 (ECU 2,600 million requested)
ARIANE 5 EVOLUTION
ECU1,026 million between 1996-2003 (ECU1,000 million requested)
ARIANE 5 INFRASTRUCTURE
ECU323.7 million between 1996-2000 (ECU320 million requested)
ARIANE 5 ARTA (complementary research and development)
ECU371.5 million between 1996-2000 (ECU370 million requested)
ESA SCIENCE PROGRAMMES
ECU2,553.2 million between 1996-2000 (ECU2,569 million requested)
Source: Flight International
