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Heads of National Space Agencies plenary session – IAC2018. Bremen, Germany.

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Heads of Space Agencies: Plenary Session IAC2018

This is my recording of the Heads of Space Agency plenary session on 1st October – the first day of the IAC2018. It was not recorded with the intention to publish online. However, here it is unedited – for anyone who may benefit from it.

In Attendance:

  • Dmitry Loskutov in place of Dmitry Rogozin – (Roscosmos)
  • Hiroshi Yamakawa – (JAXA)
  • Johann-Dietrich Woerner – (ESA)
  • Maggie Aderin-Pocock (Moderator – BBC)
  • Jim Bridenstine – (NASA)
  • K. Sivan – (ISRO)
  • Sylvain Laporte – Canadian Space Agency
  • ZHANG Kejian China National Space Administration

Some of my notes below – Timeline (mins:Sec)

04:50    Jan Woerner – ESA  
10:28    K Sivan – ISRO
15:16    Zang Kejian – CNSA (speaking via translator)
26 Launches since Jan 2018
Chang-e-4 Lunar rover before end of year (Relay sat already
launched)
5 More GNSS satellites before the end of year
Willing to collaborate internationally
Social, economic, climate change – support Asian – Asia and African
nations
China joint projects – Brazil, France, ESA, (Chang-e4 Sweden,
Germany, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia)
An announcement of opportunity 10kg payload available for
international partners on the Chang’e6 Sample return mission
CSS will be completed by 2022. Also, welcome international
cooperation on the CSS
Welcome international partners in its growing commercial space
market.
Established “Space Day” in China to encourage the younger generation
25:40 Hiroshi Yamakawa (JAXA)
Hayabusa 2 – Rover Minerva landed on Ryugu.  Lander Mascot (built
by DLR/CNES)
MMX Mission to Mars
Asia Specific Forum – 25th anniversary in Singapore
JAXA welcomes international partners.
The combined budget of all space agencies around the world. 42.5
Billion (21.5=NASA).
30:18 Dmitry Loskutov (Roscosmos)
35:05 Sylvain Laporte Canadian Space Agency
44:10 Jim Bridenstine (NASA)
 Hope to get 10k attendance in Washington IAC2019
Lunar gateway – Back to the Moon to stay. Sustainable open architecture open to commercial and international partners. It will also serve as a deep space transport to Mars.

53:10 Q&A

1:18:26 End

Episode 82: Jaxa and International Collaboration with Professor Fujimoto Masaki

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Prof. Fujimoto Masaki
Prof. Fujimoto Masaki. Credit author

 The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was founded in 2003 through the merger of three existing organisations and has an annual budget of around 2 billion USD. It has a remit for research and development of technology, space exploration and supporting human spaceflight aboard the ISS through collaboration with the European Space Agency. This episode is available in audio and video below.

In 2003, JAXA launched Hayabusa-1 to explore the asteroid Itokawa. It arrived at Itokawa in 2005 and returned to the Earth with a tiny sample in 2010.  In 2014, JAXA launched Hayabusa-2 to explore asteroid Ryugu.  Hayabusa2 arrived at Ryugu on 27 June 2018 and will remain in Ryugu orbit until 2019. It will collect three discrete samples (between 0.1g and 1g in each case), store them in separate sealed containers on board for return to Earth in December 2020, in the Woomera test range in Australia.

All four rovers. Credit ESA
Hayabusu 2 and Ryugu. Credit ESA
silhouette of Hayabusa2 on Ryugu. Credit JAXA

Hyabusa2 has four rovers.

  • MINERVA-II-1 contains two rovers, Rover-1A and Rover-1B, which were deployed on 21 September 2018.
  • Mascot – a rover developed by the German and French space agencies. Deployed on 3rd October 2018.
  • The MINERVA-II-2 contains ROVER-2, a payload developed by several universities in Japan and planned for deployment in July 2019.

JAXA is also considering

  1. 1 The launch of the world’s smallest lunar lander is intended to be launched on NASA’s Space Launch System in the 2020s.
  2. Smart Lander for Investigating the Moon (SLIM) will demonstrate precision landing technology. 
  3. Selene-R – a tentative joint JAXA/ISRO Moon mission to soft-land a rover on the Moon. Jaxa would supply the rover, and ISRO would supply the lander.
  4. MMX – Martian Moons Exploration. A martian sample return mission. Only possible with international collaboration (US, France, Germany). To be launched around 2024. Following a period of 3 years at Mars, it will return to Earth with a sample from Phobos in 2029. 
Prof. Fujimoto Masaki. Credit Author

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Heads of National Space Agencies Press Conference: IAC2018 Bremen, Germany

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Heads of Space Agency Press Conference IAC2018

This is my recording of the Heads of Space Agency press conference, 1st October – the first day of IAC2018. This video was not initially intended to be published. But here it is unedited – some may find it of interest.

In Attendance:Left to right

  • Dmitry Loskutov in place of Dmitry Rogozin – (Roscosmos)
  • Hiroshi Yamakawa – (JAXA)
  • Johann-Dietrich Woerner – (ESA)
  • Maggie Aderin-Pocock (Moderator – BBC)
  • Jim Bridenstine – (NASA)
  • K. Sivan – (ISRO)
  • Sylvain Laporte – Canadian Space Agency (not present)
  • Zhang Kejian, China National Space Administration (not present)

Some notes

Head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin – prevented by sanctions against Russia to travel to Germany. Replaced by Dmitry Loskutov.

Bridenstein:

  • Experiments on ISS from 103 countries
  • Gateway – Open architecture, a fraction of the size of the ISS is not in LEO so has no radiation protection from the Van Allen Belts
  • Reduced electromagnetic radiation from Earth. May allow new experiments in astrophysics
  • Multiple trips to the lunar surface from the Gateway and hence potential for new science experiments on the surface.
  • Question: Is NASA subsidising SpaceX?  Did not deny it outright at the outset.
  • NASA’s goal is to establish a capability, reduce costs, and enhance innovation. Ultimately, more customers for SpaceX, not just NASA, and more service providers – not just SpaceX.
  • My question is: when will the US law prohibiting US/China collaboration in space end? 
  • Answer: The law expires and is renewed every year. (Left it open ended really). 
  • Question: Is China’s space programme too close to the Chinese military? Answer: This is a concern for US government, and NASA will do what its government permits it to do 

Sivan

  • India has no plans for human missions to the Moon.
  • Regarding India cooperating with China on human spaceflight training, he left it open-ended. I think he was aware of the deal that the Modi administration was making with Russia (announced a few days later), but could not say anything at this press conference.

Woerner:

  • ESA Astronauts are learning Chinese. Will fly with China in the future but no date yet.

Episode 81: United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

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Simonetta Di Pippo. Director, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. Credit: Author

Ensuring the peaceful uses of outer space has been the primary objective of the United Nations, as set out in the Outer Space Treaty, established in 1968. The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) achieves this by promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. This interview with UNOOSA director Simonetta Di Pippo was recorded at IAC 2018. Some parts may be a little noisy. An audio and video of this episode are available below.

UNOOSA serves as the secretariat for the General Assembly’s only committee dealing exclusively with international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space: the  United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

UNOOSA Projects. Credit UNOOSA
UN GNSS. Credit UNOOSA
Credit UNOOSA

Some of the highlights include:

  • UNOOSA is responsible for maintaining the public register of all space objects ever launched to Earth orbit and beyond.
  • United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER)  is a flagship programme established in 2006.  UN-Spider has access to multiple space agencies to acquire historical and current satellite images to help with emergency disaster management from wherever they arise – Earthquakes, flooding, forest fires and threats from outer space, including Space weather and near-Earth Asteroids. 
  • Outer Space Treaty is a “masterpiece”. The UN operates through a consensus-based mechanism. It is this consensus that the Outer Space Treaty is so resilient. Still operational and relevant more than fifty years after it was founded. It remains coherent and powerful and will remain so through the coming phase of commercial space operations. 
  • UNOOSA acts as a broker to promote International Collaboration. The Japanese Space Agency is promoting small-satellite projects from developing nations and university students, thereby fostering the development of National Space Agencies worldwide (currently about 70 countries). The Japanese Space Agency, JAXA, is helping new countries such as Kenya, Hungary, UAE, Guatemala, Mauritius and Indonesia to have some level of space presence.
  • UNOOSA supported the China National Space Agency’s  Announcement of Opportunity to host payloads on the China Space Station. A total of 36 proposals were received for payloads aboard CSS. A selection process is now underway.
  • As a separate announcement, CNSA announced that China will host Pakistan’s first astronaut aboard the CSS by 2022. However, Pakistan’s Space Agency SUPARCO has not yet mentioned it on its website.
Simonetta Di Pippo. Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs

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