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Europe’s space missions could face extended delays if new proposals
are adopted at the next summit of Europe’s space ministers in November.
The proposals, announced at a meeting in Florence last week, have been drawn
up by officials of the European Space Agency to placate members who say
they cannot afford the ESA’s ambitious projects.

The new schedule postpones the first unmanned flight of the space plane
Hermes until 2002. It had previously been put back from 1998 to 2000. The
first manned flight would take place in mid-2003, according to the new strategy.

Two components of Columbus, Europe’s contribution to the international
space station, would also be postponed. The polar platform – a suite of
remote sensing instruments – would be launched a year later than planned,
in 1997. The Columbus Free Flyer, an unpressurised laboratory that will
orbit separately from the space station, would be launched in 2003 instead
of 2001.

The launch delays will reduce expenditure in the next few years but
push up overall costs. For example, the development cost of Hermes will
increase from 4.4 billion accounting units (£3.1 billion) to 6.2 billion.

ESA officials say first responses from member countries to the new timetable
have been positive, although they do not rule out future objections. Wrangling
over money within ESA has been bitter recently (see This Week, 10 August).
In August, when negotiations over temporary funding for Hermes reached deadlock,
ESA applied a rule which allows it to borrow money in the name of a defaulting
member nation.

Speaking about the delay to Hermes, the French research minister, Hubert
Curien, cast doubt on the proposals. ‘Delays reduce the interest of the
programme,’ he said. ‘An object conceived seven years ago, going into space
in 12 years’ time, has had 19 years’ gestation – that’s a bit long.’ ESA’s
space transport systems director, Jorg Feustel-Buechl, warned that any further
rescheduling would put the entire Hermes programme into question.

However, ESA officials are drawing consolation from the delay to the
launch of the Free Flyer. Originally, the laboratory was to have been serviced
by the space shuttle. The new schedule would mean that servicing could be
carried out by Hermes in 2004. According to Romano Barbera, head of ESA’s
Columbus office, this strengthens the European contribution to the project.

‘The Free Flyer will be technically and operationally tied up with Hermes,
and shuttle servicing will only be kept as a back-up,’ he said. ESA is still
working out the effect of postponement on the Columbus budget.