European Spaceflight Update - Issue #6
Issue 6. Subscribers: 230.
First some housekeeping. European Spaceflight and Berlin-based newspace research and market intelligence data analysis company Capitol Momentum have entered into a strategic partnership. The partnership will allow both organisations to share data with the aim of assisting German and European startups in competing in a highly competitive marketplace. I am incredibly excited to work with the talented team over at Capitol Momentum.
Could ESA purchase dedicated Crew Dragon flights?
During a conversation about Europe developing crewed launch capabilities, I was asked if ESA could purchase dedicated Crew Dragon flights? As an advocate of Europe developing independent crewed access to space, my instinct was to dismiss the idea. However, I confess that it has been nagging away at me ever since.
Let me get this out the way upfront. I do think Europe should still develop its own crewed launch capabilities. If the current geopolitical climate has taught us anything, it’s that having independent capabilities in space is important. However, even if at the ESA ministerial-level council meeting later this year member states vote to pursue a crewed launch initiative, it will likely be 5 to 10 years before, to paraphrase Jim Bridenstine, European astronauts launch aboard European-made rockets from European soil.
Despite the 5 to 10-year wait, ESA will introduce a new astronaut class to Europe later this year. The introduction of the new recruits will further lengthen the line for European astronauts to get their chance to launch aboard NASA-sponsored Crew Dragon and eventually Boeing Starliner missions. But what if we could launch four European astronauts at a time, say once a year, leading up to the introduction of European launch capabilities? There is no doubt that the experience these crews would gain would be invaluable. The question, however, would inevitably come down to cost.
The recent Axiom-1 mission gives an idea of what kind of costs would be involved. Seats aboard this historic mission to the International Space Station (ISS) cost approximately $55 million apiece. This is, however, the sticker price and included fees to stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. As ESA is a contributing member of the ISS, the agency would likely pay significantly less, if at all, for its astronauts to stay aboard the station. Additionally, with a multi-year multi-mission commitment, the cost per astronaut would likely also be significantly reduced.
With all this in mind, let’s spitball and say that ESA could launch a crew of four aboard a Crew Dragon to the ISS for around $150 million (€142 million). In 2022, ESA budgeted just over €1 billion for space transportation, which included funding for Ariane 6 and Vega-C development. As these vehicles come into operation, development costs will likely be reduced. However, if we are to begin the development of a crewed launch initiative, this funding and more will likely be utalised there. As a result, if ESA did choose to include one Crew Dragon flight a year in its 2023 budget, it would likely require member states to increase space transportation funding by close to 15% solely for that initiative.
Would there be enough political incentive to pass that kind of funding increase for space transportation? That’s unclear. There would certainly be public support for it. However, as member states are most likely to fund initiatives that include benefits to their own industries, it may be a hard sell to allocate such a significant portion of ESA funding to a US company.
Personally, I am still on the fence about the idea. But I want to know what you think. Head over to this week’s discussion to have your say.
News of the week
Did you crack this Easter mystery? - Over the Easter weekend, several European newspace companies mysteriously posted identical images on social media under the hashtag #EuropeanEgglightenment. Today, a group of 18 European newspace companies revealed that the images were part of a joint effort calling on public and private institutions to be more proactive in supporting and fostering a dynamic and disruptive European space industry. Signatories to the manifesto include Isar Aerospace, ClearSpace, Dawn Aerospace, D-Orbit, EnduroSat, Exotrail, Orora Technologies, and PLD Space
Putting the old bird out of its misery - The German Space Agency (DLR) and NASA have made the decision to discontinue flight operations of the SOFIA airborne infrared observatory. The pair cited unjustifiable operational costs as the primary reason for the decision. Germany contributed 20% of the airborne observatories operating costs. The country also developed and built the unique telescope that flew aboard the massive Boeing 747 carrier aircraft. The old bird will be missed!
An Italian rides a Dragon - ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti traveled to the International Space Station this week aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft along with her fellow Crew-4 crewmates Kjell Lindgren, Pilot Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins of NASA. Cristoforetti will remain aboard the orbiting laboratory for approximately five months.
RFA jumps for joy - Launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg has won the second and final round of the DLR microlauncher competition. As winners, the company receives €11 million and will be required to carry 150kgs of institutional payloads free of charge aboard the RFA One’s first two flights. Isar Aerospace won the first round of the competition in April 2021.
Some cheddar with your baguette? - French launch startup HyPrSpace has secured €1.1 million in seed funding to accelerate the development of its OB-1 (the “OB” stands for Orbital Baguette) reusable hybrid microlauncher. The funding round was led by Geodesic, a French seed fund managed by Bpifrance on behalf of the French government as part of its France 2030 commitments. The round also included unnamed private investors.
A little slow out of the starting blocks - Arianespace has announced that it will launch the first Ariane 5 mission of 2022 on June 22. Flight 257 will carry the MEASAT-3d and GSAT-24 geostationary telecommunication satellites.
A goddess gets her package - The core structure of ESA’s Hera asteroid probe arrived at OHB in Bremen for assembly with the spacecraft’s primary structure. Once it’s launched in October 2024, Hera will be tasked with rendezvousing with the asteroid impacted by NASA’s DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission to survey the results.
Time for an eye in the sky - French commercial Earth observation startup Prométhée has signed a contract with NanoAvionics to build the company’s ProtoMéthée-1 satellite. The satellite will be the first of the company’s Earth observation nanosatellites and will be based on NanoAvionics 16U nanosatellite bus.
Please, sir, can I launch my rocket? - Scottish launch startup Skyrora is urging the Icelandic government to grant the launch licence for its maiden Skylark L flight. The suborbital vehicle is powered by a single 31kN engine and is capable of carrying a payload of up to 50kgs to an altitude of 102kms. According to Skyrora, the lack of a launch licence has caused several months of delay for the rocket’s debut.
Y'all got any more of them space industries? - The Netherlands Space Office awarded a €500k grant to spaceplane startup Dawn Aerospace to research additive manufactured propellant tanks using novel metals. The grant is part of a call by the Netherlands government to advance the development of space infrastructure tech that can be utilised aboard future ESA and commercial missions.
A shield for the Space Forge - UK space manufacturing startup Space Forge has signed an agreement with Cosmic Shielding Corporation to test its radiation shielding aboard the company’s ForgeStar-0 tech demonstrator. The demonstrator mission is slated to be launched aboard a Virgin Orbit LauncherOne from Spaceport Cornwall this summer.
Where’d all this junk come from? - ESA’s annual Space Environment Report has again highlighted a steep increase trend in space debris that has been recorded and regularly tracked by space surveillance networks. More than 30,000 pieces of space debris are currently being tracked. However, the agency predicts that the true number of objects larger than 1cm in size is likely over one million. The agency has also identified an increase in the number of unidentified objects as a point of concern.
One knowledge database to rule them all! - German Earth observation data marketplace UP42 and geospatial technologies blog Geoawesomeness have partnered to introduce EO Hub, an open, searchable knowledge database for Earth Observation. It’s not huge news but it’s a great little resource.
The home of European Spaceflight infographics
After months of delay and procrastination, I have finally put together a download page for all the European Spaceflight infographics. The page only has a few of my most popular infographics right now, but more will follow soon. All the images are free to use for any non-commercial purpose.