EADS Astrium is now the prime industrial contractor for the European share of the International Space Station (ISS). Two weeks ago, the European Space Agency ESA transferred all the activities covering the period from 2008 up to and including 2010 to Astrium for €278 million.
The agreement covers the mission control, engineering tasks and provision of supplies to the ISS, plus communications with the ground station. The deal also encompasses astronaut training, mission control and preparation, logistics and maintenance.
Dr. Michael Menking, head of orbital systems and space exploration at Astrium, says: “We have combined the know-how and experience gained through a wide range of development programmes. Astrium’s strategy of building on its existing competence is turning out very successful, and ESA is confident of our abilities.”
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There are plans to prolong the service agreement for the entire service life of the ISS, currently predicted to be until at least 2020. Astrium leads a European consortium of some 40 enterprises from 10 European countries to look after the ISS, including Thales Alenia Space, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Columbus Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich.
The Columbus space laboratory is Europe’s main contribution to the ISS. It is designed to allow a wide range of experiments to be carried out in zero-gravity conditions.
Source: Flight International
