Jonathan Amos Profile picture
Jan 25 24 tweets 15 min read
.@ThierryBreton, European Commissioner for Internal Market (incl Space!), is promising to outline in the next few weeks the architecture details for the proposed EU satellite megaconstellation. Speaking at 14th #BBESpaceConf 1/n
He mentions five points of importance. (1) The constellation will use all orbits, not just LEO; (2) Its governance will avoid dependencies on third countries (eg, nations like the UK would not be involved)... 14th #BBESpaceConf 2/n
... (3) It should offer a governmental and commercial service; (4) It will integrate from the start military usage and needs; (5) It should draw on the expertise of large corporations and start-ups. #BBESpaceConf 3/n
Legislative proposal to establish the megaconstellation to go to Member States and European Parliament shortly #BBESpaceConf 4/n
.@ThierryBreton: "Once presented, I count on the MS and the EP to move fast so we can hopefully conclude in a year's time the negotiation and have the first services deployed already by 2024. I know it is ambitious, but I know also that it is feasible." #BBESpaceConf 5/n
What was interesting about @ThierryBreton's speech this morning was the emphasis he put on defence and independent capability. European space infrastructures would increasingly be seen in this context, he said. 14th #BBESpaceConf 6/n
.@ThierryBreton: "We should develop new infrastructures as dual-use by design, integrating the defence need from the outset." #Galileo, obviously; but increasingly #Copernicus, too. 14th #BBESpaceConf 7/n
You could see the Dover Strait widening as he spoke. 🧐Joking aside, the more security elements that are put into EU space programmes, the more difficult it becomes for the present London government to participate. 14th #BBESpaceConf 8/n
In his later press call, @ThierryBreton said: "Copernicus has definitely real potential to increase its services in security and defence, and this is the area where we want to offer new capacities and technologies." 14th #BBESpaceConf 9/n
The view expressed at #BBESpaceConf is that the EU megaconstellation has to stand apart from other existing/proposed networks. "It cannot be a 'me too' constellation. We have to have a few differentiators that make the difference," said Evert Dudok of @AirbusSpace 10/n
List of wants? Quantum key distribution, optical links and higher-frequency radio bands, perhaps Q/V bands. Software-defined architecture to enable satellites to be updated easily. Embedded technologies/hosted payloads from 'new space' companies in Europe. 11/n #BBESpaceConf
.@steviecSES echos @JeanMarc_Nasr's message from last year 👇 about urgency. "We need to start bending metal this year," says Collar. "We're well prepared. We have a very clear idea of where we need to go... but we need to start. 12/n #BBESpaceConf bbc.co.uk/news/science-e…
.@steviecSES, of course, has the experience of rolling out and operating the #O3B constellation. "I think 2022 is the year where we have to make [the EU project] happen. I don't want to be here in January 2023 still talking about it." 13/n #BBESpaceConf
Update on #Sentinel1B. @ESA_EO director @SimonettaCheli says she's not giving up on the satellite. "You cannot say yet that the satellite is dead because the current investigation is still ongoing" #BBESpaceConf 15/n
A reminder that both power supply chains to the C-band radar antenna went down on 23 December. Next review board is planned for next week. More than 10 solutions are being tried to recover #Sentinel1B #BBESpaceConf 16/n
Discussions are being held with commercial partners, including @Iceye, about the possibility of providing #Sentinel1B users with alternative data in the meantime. #Sentinel1C should be ready in the autumn but then comes the problem of finding a rocket ride. 🚀 #BBESpaceConf 17/n
Dare I mention the ongoing saga of the UK's association to @CopernicusEU? Reminder: the UK wants to join (everyone wants the UK to join!) but @EU_Commission won't put pen to paper while differences over Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland remain. #BBESpaceConf 18/n
The impasse creates a €750m hole in the Copernicus budget, but @ESA_EO director @SimonettaCheli says she can continue with the development of 6 new satellites "with the insertion of a new programatic milestone in June 2024". #BBESpaceConf 19/n
.@SimonettaCheli: "We will go ahead this year with the Preliminary Design Reviews of the 6 satellites, starting in February and ending in November, and the industrial world work will progress... #BBESpaceConf 20/n
.@SimonettaCheli: "...And with the money that we have today available, we will be able to go (ahead) just (by) committing on some things until 2024." #BBESpaceConf 21/n
This "kicking the can down the road" solution provides space for London and Brussels to sort their differences. The @EU_Commission has approved the idea and it will be formalised in the next couple of weeks. #BBESpaceConf 22/n
Of course, if we're still talking about this problem in June 2024, it will mean relations between the UK and the EU-27 will have really soured. And to state the obvious, one mission cannot wait until this deadline for a hard decision. That's #CO2M #BBESpaceConf 23/n
The carbon dioxide-monitoring constellation has to be in orbit in early 2026 at the latest to assist with the national emissions stocktaking exercise envisaged by #COP21Paris #BBESpaceConf 24/n

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More from @BBCAmos

Sep 8, 2021
It's up! The driveway in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, that was hit by a carbonaceous chondrite meteorite in February has had its mini crater removed to go on public display at @NHM_Meteorites / @NHM_London. bbc.co.uk/news/science-e…
A beautiful day in the #Cotswolds. If this was the last day of summer (it's going to rain tomorrow), what a way to spend it! And super success. The #Winchcombe tarmac - with its "Splat!" mark - was lifted with no damage. Expert work by the Grimshaw contractors.
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Nov 27, 2019
No they won't, yes they will. The UK was heading for a car crash at the @esa ministerial, with doubts in the last few days that it would turn up with the expected uplift in its subscription. Normal service looks to have been resumed. #Space19Plus bbc.com/news/science-e…
Attention now turns to where the cash from Britain and the other big member states goes. A major battleground will be the €1.4bn #Copernicus package. How hard will the UK commit? EO really important to Germany here; it'll be going in very hard, as you would expect. #Space19Plus
#Copernicus at #Space19plus is a one-card trick with the card placed face-upwards. It's really difficult to get it wrong. A large R&D commitment now will unlock chunky contracts down the road - but only if you're *in* Copernicus. How big a problem is that for the UK? #Brexit
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Oct 17, 2019
The headline budget proposal for the @esa #Space19+ Ministerial Council will be €12.8bn. The hope is to see the science budget lift by close to 10% after three years. Member states will have to agree this of course. 2 days of discussion/commitment in Seville, 27/28 Nov.
@esa Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine has written to Esa DG Jan Wörner to ask for more service modules to stick on the back of the future Artemis Orion capsules that have been ordered from Lockheed. The letter talks about a European astronaut walking on the Moon at some point.
The intention is that Europe will also participate in the Lunar Gateway's international habitat module and the communications module known as Esprit. The latter is the bit the UK is interested in. All assumes Gateway continues. My American friends will know more about this.
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Behold! The finished #RosalindFranklin rover. A nine-month assembly but more than a decade of development by teams across Europe @esa, Russia @roscosmos and the USA @NASA as part of the @ESA_ExoMars project. bbc.co.uk/news/science-e… Great photo @MaxA_Photo! Image
#RosalindFranklin is being bagged and boxed for shipment from Stevenage, UK, to Toulouse, France. Acoustic and thermal vacuum testing awaits. The rover has three outstanding items: its radioisotope heaters. Insertion will be just prior to launch next year. Photo by @MaxA_Photo Image
Meanwhile, in Turin today the cruise spacecraft and the descent module should be being combined for the first time at @Thales_Alenia_S. Once testing is complete, all elements go to another TAS facility in Cannes for a final fit-check before despatch to Baikonur. Image
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Dec 10, 2018
Exciting news from the legend that is Ed Stone from JPL. Voyager 2 has reached the heliopause - and stepped outside the solar system (if you use this definition). It crossed over on 5 Nov #AGU18
The position of the heliopause is currently moving outwards so it's possible it could catch up with Voyager 2 again, but for the moment the probe is exploring near interstellar space.
Voyager 2 is currently 119 astronomical unit from the Sun, ie 119 times the sun-earth distance. It's moving at about 60,000km/h
Read 6 tweets
May 1, 2018
Downing Street has put out a #Galileo note this evening saying the "Prime Minister will task engineering and aerospace experts in the UK to develop options for a British Global Navigation Satellite System". I'm told it "formalises" what we learnt last week 1/n
And on first reading, the statement doesn't take us much further forward than the @FT @peggyhollinger scoop. The statement says the UK still "seeks full participation in the EU’s #Galileo programme as part of its future security partnership." However... 2/n
"A taskforce of Government specialists and domestic industry will [now] develop options that will provide both civilian and encrypted signals, so a British system would have a similar range of commercial and security applications as the US GPS system." 3/n
Read 8 tweets

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