Future for CIS space industry

The following is the executive summary of Volume 1 of Euroconsult's four volume study, Space Industries and Markets in Russia and Other Countries of the Former Soviet Union. The material reproduced covers space policy and industry in CIS countries, providing a transversal view of CIS space activities and organizations. Generic problems across all fields of applications are analysed; the final focus is on trade with foreign countries. The other volumes cover prospects for satellite communications in the CIS to 2000; prospects for Earth observation satellite systems in Russia and Ukraine to 2000; and prospects for space transportation systems in the CIS to 2000. Information on the whole — some 650 pages — may be obtained from Pauline Byrne at Euroconsult, 71 Boulevard Richard Lenoir, 75011 Paris, France.     

Corporate mergers - Lifeline for the space industry

The world's major space companies have undergone continual evolution, through a process of mergers and acquisitions, since their creation from their aerospace parents. Although much of this evolution occurred in the early years of the Space Age, the process seems to have become particularly dynamic in the 1990s, as companies have striven to become ever more competitive in an increasingly global business environment. This article reviews some of the most important mergers and traces the recent development of the world's leading space contractors.     

The impact of US export controls on the Canadian space industry

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) govern the export of defense-related technologies and services from the USA. In 1999 Canada's exemption to ITAR was suspended because of American objections over some Canadian companies retransferring US technology to third countries. This paper is a first attempt to quantify the impact of ITAR on the Canadian space industry. Thirty-two space-related companies were contacted and a total of nine responses were received, representative of around 60% of the Canadian space industry in terms of workforce and revenue. According to the results, the Canadian space industry has been relatively effective in meeting the challenges imposed by ITAR. However, these workarounds do not diminish its negative impacts, particularly with respect to cost and schedule. It is expected that ITAR will continue to affect the Canadian space industry, as no near-term relief from the current regulatory environment is on the horizon.     

Space debris and the need for space traffic control

This report summarises the presentations which took place at the ‘Space Traffic Control – Is the Space Debris Problem Solvable?’ conference hosted by the Royal Aeronautical Society on the 2nd July 2013. The conference sought to promote discussion over methods to deal with the issue of space debris in particular and speakers included representatives from the European Space Agency, the United Kingdom Space Agency, practitioners and academia. Themes which emerged during the conference included the urgency of the problem of space debris, the need for short-term and long-term solutions, the necessity for the development and implementation of space debris remediation technologies to complement existing mitigation efforts and, last but not least, the wider applications of space traffic control. Regarding the sub-title of the conference, ‘is the space debris problem solvable?’, it would appear from the presentations that while there is the potential for future management of the issue through debris remediation and harmonised mitigation efforts, no comprehensive solutions exist at the time of writing.     

Observations on the evolution of satellite launch volume and cyclicality in the space industry

Satellites have been rightly described as the lifeblood of the entire space industry and the number of satellites ordered or launched per year is an important defining metric of the industry's level of activity, such that trends and variability in this volume have significant strategic impact on the space industry. Over the past 40+ years, hundreds of satellites have been launched every year. Thus an important dataset is available for time series analysis and identification of trends and cycles in the various markets of the space industry. This article reports findings of a study for which we collected data on over 6000 satellites launched since 1960 on a yearly basis. We grouped the satellites into three broad categories – defense and intelligence, science, and commercial satellites – and identified and discussed the main trends and cyclical patterns for each of these. Institutional customers (defense and intelligence, and science) accounted for over two-thirds of all satellites launched within our time period (1960–2008), and, in the 1960s and 1970s, they accounted for 90% and 73.5%, respectively. A fair conclusion from this data is that the space industry was enabled by, and grew because of the institutional customers, not commercial market forces. However, when the launch data is examined more closely, a growing influence of the commercial sector is noticeable. Over the past two decades communication satellites accounted for roughly half of all launches, thus reflecting an important shift in the space industry in which the commercial sector is playing an equal role (on a launch volume basis) to that of the institutional market. Cyclical patterns in the satellite launch volume over the past decade are separately discussed before we sum up with a conclusion.     

Russian space programmes and industry: Defining the new institutions for new conditions

The aim of this article is to define the major elements of the institutional design process for the Russian rocket and space industry, a process which must take account of the changed economic conditions in the country and provide for the industry's integration into the wider national economy. The article does this by demonstrating the features that need to be understood, highlighting the problems that need to be resolved, and arguing that an institutional design process will have to be based on compromise and accommodation of all the different actors involved. The article deals with a number of particular problems challenging the managers and methodologists of the Russian national space programme of today.     

空间柔性臂的解耦动力学模型及其控制

提出了一种空间柔性结构通过关节电机同时实现轨迹控制和振动抑制的方法。针对单连杆空间柔性臂,采用非约束模态法建立了刚柔解耦动力学模型;提出了基于应变反馈的PID控制策略,并设计了PID／应变反馈复合控制器,同时实现对柔性臂末端运动轨迹的定位控制和弹性振动抑制控制;仿真结果验证了该控制策略的可行性。     

The environmental dimension of space arms control

Current debates on the prevention of an arms race in outer space are dominated by the traditional perspective of international strategic balance. This article addresses the issue through the often-neglected lens of environmental protection, reviewing a number of environmental instruments as they relate to outer space. It argues that environmental protection, as a non-traditional element, is an instrumental impetus for arms control. The current regime leaves the door open for states to develop conventional orbital weapons and ground-based anti-satellite weapons (ASATs), which would have a significant adverse impact on the space environment. Thus the law of environmental protection is deficient in effectively protecting the space environment from pollution resulting from military activities. It is further argued that the space arms control regime should be strengthened for humanity's common interest in a sustainable space environment. Preferably an international treaty should be concluded to prohibit testing, deployment and use of space-based weapons and ASATs. These substantive obligations also conform to the requirements of safeguarding international peace and security, and the security interests of spacefaring countries.     

Competitiveness of the European space industry. Lessons from Europe's role in NATO

This article aims to illustrate how the predominant role of the US military space capabilities within NATO adversely affects the European space industry's competitiveness and performance, as compared with the USA space industry. Thus, first the intra-NATO specialization is illustrated, followed by an analysis of the economics of the space industry. The connection is made through an economics model whose results verify the hypothesis, and predicts that the recent commitment by the WEU to military space can improve the position of the European space industry, especially if followed by close cooperation between the WEU and ESA.     

High order optimal feedback control of space trajectories with bounded control

Optimal feedback control is classically based on linear approximations, whose accuracy drops off rapidly in highly nonlinear dynamics. Several nonlinear optimal feedback control strategies have appeared in recent years. Among them, differential algebraic techniques have been used to tackle nonlinearities by expanding the solution of the optimal control problem about a reference trajectory and reducing the computation of optimal feedback control laws to the evaluation of high order polynomials. However, the resulting high order method could not handle control saturation constraints, which remain a critical facet of nonlinear optimal feedback control. This work introduces the management of saturating actuators in the differential algebraic method. More specifically, the constraints are included in the optimal control problem formulation and differential algebra is used to expand the associated optimal bang–bang solution with respect to the initial and terminal conditions. Optimal feedback control laws for thrust direction and switching times are again computed by evaluating the resulting polynomials. Illustrative applications are presented in the frame of the optimal low-thrust transfer to asteroid 1996 FG₃.     

论航天产品档案管理中的质量控制

结合航天产品档案管理,阐述质量管理与档案管理的目标一致性和过程互性的关系,以及航天产品档案管理中的质量控制工作.     

A language for arms control in space

Although precise terminology has been invented for all kinds of weapons and battle theories, the language used for arms control remains vague. Precise definitions and demarcations for arms control concepts and regions of outer space can make disarmament discussions more specific and thus more productive. Thie viewpoint puts forward a proposed terminology, in the hope that it will increase the prospects for control of space weapons.     

Technology assessment in space activities: status and outlook

Space technology is not only a matter for engineers. In various ways, political authorities and other sections of society are interested in space activities. An of space activities provides a scientific basis on which to tender guidance and advice to decision makers. The authors discuss the growing use of technology assessment in the space field with particular reference to German activities and analyse why it will become more important in the future.     

Continuous path control of space manipulators mounted on OMV

Theoretical analysis on the formulation of kinematics for the manipulator mounted on a satellite is presented. Firstly, to solve the inverse kinematics, the authors define a new generalized Jacobian matrix, and utilizing this generalized matrix, the problem can be treated analytically. Secondly, the authors verify the method proposed here in the simulation study. Thirdly, they also discuss on the several points which are indispensable for further investigations.     

空间遥操作机器人系统控制参考模型

从分析智能系统中智能行为机制人手，研究了智能系统中自组织单元基本结构，基于智能工程中的集成单元结构，提出了遥操作机器人系统的递阶嵌套控制参考模型，并应用到遥操作空间机器人模拟实验中，完成了模拟舱内作业任务，验证了其实用性。     

空间流量调节阀的润滑

流量调节阀运动件较多,工作环境压力<10^-11Pa,流体润滑不适应该环境条件。阀芯与推进剂（N₂O₄和MON-1）接触,无成熟解决方案。本文提出的阀门运动件润滑方案,非接触介质运动件采用自润滑材料或固体润滑膜。阀芯润滑,提出了物理气象沉积类金刚石膜（DLC）、TiN-Au复合膜及单质纯金膜三种方案。通过试验研究,确定阀芯采用全新的润滑方式-离子镀金。     

航天型号产品多余物及其预防和控制标准的实施检查

分析了航天型号产品研制中产生多余物的主要环节,介绍了三江航天集团公司在现行标准的基础上补充了预防和控制多余物的有关内容,并提出了对标准进行监督检查的要点和方法。     

Arms control and disarmament in space: the rough road to Vienna 1984 : Part II

This article continues a detailed examination of the international legal and diplomatic questions relating to arms control and disarmament, focusing on space-based activities. These are importantly concerned with the development of anti-satellite (ASAT) systems and ballistic missile defence (BMD). This part of the article considers the US Presidential-Congressional dialogue - particularly the ASAT testing issue - and Presidential initiatives vis-à-vis the USSR. An epilogue to the original paper considers the diplomatic moves and policy shifts which contributed to the January 1985 US-Soviet meeting and the agreement to begin bilateral negotiations to consider space and nuclear arms.