Julian Moxon/BORDEAUX
Aerospatiale is pressing the European Space Agency (ESA) to launch development of an unmanned independent European re-entry vehicle demonstrator as a follow-on to its Atmospheric Re-entry Demonstrator (ARD) programme. France pulled out of the NASA-led X-38 re-entry vehicle effort in 1997 when its new Government cancelled financing for manned space projects, leaving Germany as the main ESA participating member.
The country is also not expected to join any European contribution to the planned Crew Emergency Return Vehicle programme for the International Space Station (ISS).
Aerospatiale is prime contractor for the ARD, a conical Apollo-like unmanned craft which will be deployed from the Ariane 503 when it is launched in mid-September. Despite its perceived value in contributing to European re-entry knowhow, one ESA source says that the 44 million euros ($48 million) effort will be "virtually pointless" if there is no subsequent programme.
Aerospatiale's head of space and manned transportation programmes, Gerard Breard, says that the decision to open discussions with ESA was taken "very recently", and adds that Belgium and Italy, major contributors to the ARD, have also shown "serious interest".
He adds that the suggested name for the re-entry demonstrator is Atmospheric Re-entry Experimental Spacecraft (ARES).
The spacecraft would be in the form of a fully automatic, winged vehicle which would be able to land on prepared runways, and it would be "much less complex" than the cancelled Hermes manned spaceplane programme.
Breard says that, without such an initiative, Europe "-will not be able to negotiate partnership in international programmes from a position of strength".
The ARES is expected to cost 350 million euros and take five years to develop and test, and will be deployed from a Soyuz launcher "-because we have to keep costs down, and the Ariane 5 is too expensive".
The programme will be proposed to ESAat its ministerial meeting in September.
Source: Flight International
