Space Tech Expo Europe | Hydrazine ban could cost Europe billions; ESOC boss: Europe needs to band together for better SSA

Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017 View this email in your browser Hydrazine ban could cost Europe's space industry billions BREMEN, Germany — The European Union might ban the use of the toxic satellite propellant hydrazine as early as 2021, which would present a major setback for the block's space industry. Priya Fernando, head of the Propulsion Design Group at Airbus Defence and Space,  said even if the space sector gets an exemption to continue using hydrazine, the cost of the fuel would double in Europe, which would seriously handicap EU space manufacturers. Fernando said the EU space industry might lose up to 2 billion euros ($2.35 billion) per year as a result of operations being moved to countries where no restrictions apply. Speaking atSpace Tech Expo Europe here, Fernando said that alternative monopropellants such as hydroxylamine nitrate (HAN) or ammonium dinitramide (AND) are nowhere near ready to replace hydrazine in the near future. — Tereza Pultarova 24-26 October, Bremen, Germany      Registration Exhibition Hall Industry Forum Technology Forum Weds 25 October 08:00 - 17:00 08:45 - 17:00 09:05 - 16:30 09:25 - 17:00 Thurs 26 October 08:00 - 15:00 08:45 - 15:00 09:00 - 15:00 09:25 - 13:50 ESOC boss: Europe need to band together for better space surveillance Managing space traffic in a systematic way is becoming increasingly important as small-satellite megaconstellations in development promise to add to the problem. If Europe wants to take a lead role in this necessarily global endeavor, it needs to step up its game, Rolf Densing, head of the European Space Agency's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) said Oct. 25 at Space Tech Expo Europe here. Densing said the current European approach under the Space Surveillance and Tracking initiative managed by the European Union is too fragmented to provide the level of detail required to monitor and manage the increasingly cluttered orbital environment. — Tereza Pultarova ArianeGroup futurist sees smallsat standardization as key for timely launch  Standardization of small satellites would simplify ride-sharing services, allow more frequent and timely launches and help launch providers fill empty capacity, according to Marc Valés, head of future programs at ArianeGroup. Speaking at Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen, Germany, Valés said that in addition to the existing cubesat standard, 50-kilogram-class nanosatellites should also be standardized. The 150-kilogram platform OneWeb is using for its constellation of hundreds of low-Earth-orbit broadband satellites should be accepted as another standard, Valés said. Satellite makers who complied with such standards would benefit from better launch prices and could wait until shortly before launch to deliver their spacecraft to the launch site. — Tereza Pultarova Spain's launch startups make a case for hosting a European spaceport With three companies developing dedicated small-satellite launchers, Spain is establishing itself as Europe's NewSpace rocket hub. Although none of the three have launched their first rocket, that's not stopping them from making the case that Spain should build a spaceport. Raul Torres, co-founder and CEO of PLD Space, which is shooting for a 2019 launch of its suborbital demonstrator Arion 1, said his Elche, Spain-based company is seeing increasing support from the Spanish government. The country's government is working on a space law and will likely consider establishing a spaceport, Torres said during a presentation at Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen, Germany. Spain, a member state of the European Space Agency as well as the European Union, would thus stand to  go head to head with the United Kingdom, which plans to start operating  a domestic spaceport by 2020. — Tereza Pultarova ArianeGroup CFO Pierre Godart on Ariane 6 cost savings, micro launchers and reusability Ariane 5 is one of the world's most reliable launcher but its makers aren't resting on their laurels. Following the 2015 creation of Airbus Safran Launchers, a joint venture between the two main contributors to the European rocket program, the company renamed itself to ArianeGroup and embarked on a journey through the quickly changing space industry landscape. ArianeGroup's CFO Pierre Godart told SpaceNews at Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen, Germany, that lean management, as well as increased vertical integration, is the main drivers behind improving efficiency and reducing cost. With the new Ariane 6 slated to enter service in 2020, ArianeGroup promises to cut per-kilogram launch cost by 40 to 50 percent compared to Ariane 5. Godart said that while Ariane 6 reflects changes in the current satellite market and was specifically designed to respond to the advent of small satellite mega-constellations, the company keeps their mind open about a possible future dedicated small satellite micro-launcher and would consider exploring rocket stage reusability once persuaded about a sound business case. — Tereza Pultarova ESA's tentative embrace of 3D-printed spacecraft parts While additive manufacturing is changing the way spacecraft are built, more innovation will come from combining advanced manufacturing tools with new materials and design strategies. "How can I make a satellite that will be fully optimized with respect to its mission," Laurent Pambaguian, European Space Agency materials technology engineer, asked at the Additive Aerospace Summit in Los Angeles last week. "Additive manufacturing is important because it brings a lot of possibilities, but it is a small bit of this global optimization." In this quest for global optimization, the European Space Agency is investigating the characteristics and properties of promising materials at its Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory established in 2016 at the UK's Science and Technology Facilities Council's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Harwell, Oxfordshire. — Debra Werner Copyright © 2017 SpaceNews Inc., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: SpaceNews Inc. 1414 Prince St, Suite 204 Alexandria, VA 22314