Aug 29, 2013 ASDNews Source : European Space Agency (ESA)

This evening, an Ariane 5 launcher lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on its mission to place two communications satellites, Eutelsat 25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7, into their planned geostationary transfer orbits.

Liftoff of flight VA215 occurred at 20:30 GMT (22:30 CET; 17:30 French Guiana) at the opening of the launch window. The target injection orbit had a perigee altitude of 249 km, an apogee altitude of 35 929 km with an inclination of 3.5° relative to the equator.

Eutelsat-25B/Es’hail 1 and GSAT-7 were accurately injected into their transfer orbits approximately 27 and 34 minutes after launch, respectively.

Eutelsat-25B/Es’hail 1 was the upper payload with an estimated liftoff mass of 6300 kg. Operating at an orbital position of 25.5°E, it will assist European telecommunications operator Eutelsat and Es’hailSat, the Qatar Satellite Company, in providing direct-broadcast services covering the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. This will include video broadcasting, telecommunications and government services.

Equipped with four steerable spot beam antennas and four deployable reflectors, along with advanced command and telemetry capabilities, Eutelsat-25B/Es’hail 1 follows on from the current Eutelsat-25C satellite to provide Ku-band range communications, while its Ka-band capability widens business opportunities for both operators.

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s GSAT-7 was the lower payload with an estimated liftoff mass of 2650 kg. It will provide multiband telecommunications over India from an orbital position of 74°E.

Flight VA215 was Ariane 5’s 57th successful launch in a row since December 2002.

Kourou, August 29, 2013 .arianespace.com

Arianespace launch VA215: Mission accomplished !

On Thursday, August 29, Arianespace carried out the 57th successful Ariane 5 launch in a row, orbiting two telecommunications satellites: EUTELSAT 25B/Es’hail 1 for the Qatari and European operators, Es’hailSat and Eutelsat, and GSAT-7 for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).  

Fourth Ariane 5 launch in 2013, 57th success in a row: Arianespace continues to offer the world's most reliable launch service!

Today's successful mission, the 57th in a row for the European launcher, once again proves the reliability and availability of the Ariane 5 launch system. It also confirms that Arianespace continues to set the standard for guaranteed access to space for all operators, including national and international space agencies, private industry and governments.

Following the announcement of the orbital injection of the EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1 and GSAT-7 satellites, Arianespace Chairman and CEO Stéphane Israël said: "The 57th successful launch in a row of Ariane 5, the 80th for our family of the Ariane 5, Soyuz and Vega launchers, once again confirms the unrivaled reliability of our launch systems. I would like to thank Astrium, as the industrial prime contractor for Ariane 5, along with all other manufacturers involved, and the CNES teams at the Guiana Space Center, for working with us to make this achievement possible. On behalf of everybody at Arianespace, I would like to express our pride this evening in rising to the challenge of meeting the requirements of our three customers, Es'hailSat, Eutelsat and ISRO. Es'hailSat, like 80% of all new players in the telecommunications satellite market, chose Arianespace to orbit their first satellite. I realize that this is a particularly important moment for Es'hailSat, and for its CEO, Ali Ahmed al-Kuwari. Eutelsat and ISRO are both long-standing partners to Arianespace, reaching back over 30 years, and they continue to entrust us with their satellites year after year, within the scope of partnerships that truly honor us. I would like to express my sincere thanks to both of these companies; this latest successful launch shows that they made the right choice by selecting Arianespace! I would also like to personally thank Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat, and S.K. Shivakumas, Director of the ISRO Satellite Centre, for sharing this launch with us. And last but not least, I would like to thank Nicole Bricq, French Minister of Foreign Trade, and Her Excellency Dr. Hessa Al-Jaber, Qatari Minister for Information and Communication Technology, for kindly agreeing to join us this evening in the Jupiter control room at the Guiana Space Center." 

A launch for two long-standing customers, Eutelsat and ISRO, and one new customer, Es'hailSat

The EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1 satellite is a joint program by the Qatari operator Es'hailSat and the European operator Eutelsat. It is the first geostationary telecommunications satellite launched for Qatar, and the 23rd launched by Arianespace for customers in Africa and the Middle East.

It carries on the collaboration between Arianespace and Eutelsat that started in June 1983, and therefore marks its 30th anniversary this year. Two-thirds of the Eutelsat fleet have been launched by Ariane rockets, and Eutelsat 25B is the 27th Eutelsat satellite launched by Arianespace.

GSAT-7 is the 17th ISRO satellite to use the European launcher since the Apple experimental satellite was launched on flight L03 in 1981. Arianespace has also launched two other satellites designed by India, for the operators Eutelsat and Avanti Communications.

The partnership between Arianespace and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) reaches back to the creation of Arianespace, and has allowed the two companies to define highly effective joint working methods, as shown by today's launch, just a month after the launch of Insat-3D, a meteorological satellite developed by ISRO, by an Ariane 5 ECA from the Guiana Space Center on July 25.

EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1 and GSAT-7 mission at a glance

The mission was carried out by an Ariane 5 ECA launcher from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff was on Thursday, August 29, 2013 at 5:30 pm local time in Kourou (4:30 pm in Washington, D.C., 20:30 UT, 10:30 pm in Paris, 11:30 pm in Doha, and on Friday, August 30 at 2:00 am in Bangalore).

This was the 215th Ariane launch, with Astrium as industrial prime contractor. The launch vehicle boosted 9,776.5 kg into geostationary transfer orbit, including 8,960 kg for the two satellites.

EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1 was designed and built by Space Systems/Loral in California and weighed 6,310 kg at liftoff. The EUTELSAT 25B/Es'hail 1 satellite is a joint program of Es-hailSat and Eutelsat to operate a high-power satellite at 25.5 degrees East, an orbital position that has been used for many years. This new satellite will serve booming markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. It will replace EUTELSAT 25C to bolster the power and coverage provided from this orbital position. In addition to ensuring Ku-band service continuity for Eutelsat and providing Ku-band capacity for Es'hailSat, the satellite will offer the two partners their initial Ka-band capacity, paving the way for new business development opportunities.

GSAT-7. Designed, developed and integrated by ISRO in Bangalore, southern India, GSAT-7 is dedicated to telecommunications services for the Indian government. It weighed 2,650 kg at launch and offers a design life exceeding seven years. GSAT-7 carries Ku, C, S and UHF band transponders. Positioned at 74 degrees East, its coverage zone encompasses the entire Indian subcontinent.

08/29/2013 By Craig Whitlock and Barton Gellman, The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — The U.S. commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden was guided from space by a fleet of satellites, which aimed dozens of separate receivers over Pakistan to collect a torrent of electronic and signals intelligence as the mission unfolded, according to a top-secret U.S. intelligence document.

The National Security Agency was also able to penetrate guarded communications among al-Qaida operatives by tracking calls from mobile phones identified by specific calling patterns, the document shows. Analysts from the Central Intelligence Agency pinpointed the geographic location of one of the phones and tied it to the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, where an accumulation of other evidence suggested bin Laden was hiding.

The new disclosures about the hunt for bin Laden are contained in classified documents that detail this year's "black budget" for U.S. intelligence agencies, including the NSA and CIA. The documents, provided to The Washington Post by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, make only brief references to the bin Laden operation. But the mission is portrayed as a singular example of counter-terrorism cooperation among the U.S. government's numerous intelligence agencies.

Read More

August 29, 2013 defense-aerospace.com

(Source: United Launch Alliance; issued August 28, 2013)

National Reconnaissance Office Mission Successfully Launches on World's Largest Rocket, the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy

VANDENBERG AFB, Calif. --- A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket carrying a payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) lifted off from Space Launch Complex-6 here at 11:03 a.m. PDT today. Designated NROL-65, the mission is in support of national defense. This is ULA's eighth launch in 2013, the 24th Delta IV mission and the second Delta IV Heavy launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

"We are truly honored to deliver this critical asset to orbit," said Jim Sponnick, ULA vice president, Atlas and Delta Programs. "The ULA Delta IV Heavy is currently the world's largest rocket, providing the nation with reliable, proven, heavy lift capability for our country's national security payloads from both the east and west coasts. I congratulate the combined NRO, Air Force, ULA, and supplier team on today's successful launch of the NROL-65 mission."

This mission was launched aboard a Delta IV Heavy configuration Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) which featured a center common booster core along with two strap-on common booster cores. Each common booster core was powered by an RS-68 Liquid Hydrogen/Liquid Oxygen engine producing 663,000 pounds of thrust. A single RL10 Liquid Hydrogen/Liquid Oxygen engine powered the second stage. The booster and upper stage engines are both built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The payload was encased by a five-meter diameter (16.7-foot diameter), 65-foot, metallic tri-sector payload fairing. ULA constructed the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle in Decatur, Ala.

ULA's next launch is the Atlas V AEHF-3 mission for the United States Air Force scheduled on Sept. 18, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

The EELV program was established by the United States Air Force to provide assured access to space for Department of Defense and other government payloads. The commercially developed EELV Program supports the full range of government mission requirements, while delivering on schedule and providing significant cost savings over the heritage launch systems.

ULA program management, engineering, test, and mission support functions are headquartered in Denver, Colo. Manufacturing, assembly and integration operations are located at Decatur, Ala., and Harlingen, Texas. Launch operations are located at Cape Canaveral AFS, Fla., and Vandenberg AFB, Calif.

28 August 2013 naval-technology.com

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch its first 2.5t military satellite called GSat-7 on 30 August 2013, to improve communication network among Indian navy vessels.

On the condition of anonymity, officials said it is the space agency's first dedicated military satellite, even though officially ISRO has called GSat-7 a communication satellite.

The Times of India quotes an official as saying that "this is the first time we are launching a satellite with a specifically military role."

The satellite, which will be positioned at 74oE, will be launched on the Ariane Flight VA215 from the European spaceport near Kourou in French Guiana.

According to ISRO, GSAT-7 is a multi-band satellite carrying payloads in UHF, S-band, C-band and Ku-band and employs 2,000kg class bus (I-2K) platform with a power handling capability of around 3,000W and lift-off mass of 2,550kg.

After the launch of GSat-7, India is also planning to launch one satellite each for the air force and the army.

Earlier, the Indian space agency allotted a space on its satellite's transponder for classified communication for the armed forces, however, GSat-7 is designed specifically to cater the communication needs of navy.

In October 2001, ISRO had launched its Technology Experiment Satellite aimed for spying purposes.

French space transportation firm Arianespace has launched 16 Indian satellites so far.

August 22, 2013:  Strategy Page

The Russian government recently issued a formal reprimand to the director (Vladimir Popovkin) of the Russian Space Agency (RSA), which handles all of Russia’s satellite launches. The government later clarified that the reprimand was not for several recent disasters but for the fact that in the last three years the RSA has only been able to launch 47 percent of Russian satellites. The reprimand, which in Russia is usually the last warning for someone about to be dismissed, was about the continued inefficiency of the RSA and the inability of Popovkin to reform and revitalize the RSA.

Vladimir Popovkin took over RSA in March 2011. Eleven months later he was hospitalized for exhaustion. There were rumors that he had been worn down by his many subordinates working against the new anti-corruption measures. He was out of the hospital in twelve days and denied the many rumors (like the corruption struggle) swirling about him. Vladimir Popovkin should have been an ideal candidate for the RSA job, as he was a career army officer and scientist who rose to command the Russian Space Forces and several other military operations dealing with large rockets and space operations. Popovkin has apparently not been dismissed because he is qualified to do the job and is encountering a lot of problems with corruption and decades of bad management. Russian politicians and state controlled media, both heavily involved in corrupt activities, are not eager to make a big deal of how corruption is crippling the RSA.

The problems with RSA are many. Recently, for example, an expensive mapping satellite fell to earth after seventeen months trapped in a bad orbit. This was the result of a flawed launch attempt that left it in a useless (too low) orbit. The Russian GEO-IK-2 earth mapping satellite entered the atmosphere on July 15th and completely burned up. No fragments of the 1.4 ton satellite were reported to have reached the surface, at least not anywhere that would be noticed by people. How and why this happens explains a lot about why Russia never became a superpower in space and why Vladimir Popovkin was being worked to death.

The GEO-IK-2 was designed to measure the shape of the earth and monitor planetary movement (land, tides, ice). The satellite also had a military use, to measure the planet's gravitational field, which helps make missile guidance systems (and commercial ones) more accurate and reliably. Launched on February 1st, 2011, the GEO-IK-2 satellite reached low orbit but the third stage of the rocket failed to turn on its rockets to put the satellite into its final (higher) orbit. The day after this happened Russian ground controllers restored contact with the GEO-IK-2. Ground control had lost contact with the GEO-IK-2 satellite shortly after launch and the satellite was initially believed to be a total loss. Controllers were not able to get GEO-IK-2 into a better orbit and functioning reliably, making this the second major satellite loss in three months for Russia.

There were repercussions. A month before the GEO-IK-2 loss, Russia fired two senior managers of the RSA, plus some lesser managers, because of the December, 2010 loss of three navigation satellites. The December incident involved a Proton satellite launcher that failed due to poor management and supervision. It was a stupid mistake. The rocket malfunctioned and caused the satellites to crash into the Pacific. The Proton rocket had been fueled incorrectly, causing the imbalance and failure to achieve orbit. This was poor management at its most obvious.

The prompt dismissal of so many senior managers was actually pretty typical. Russia has a long tradition of the "vertical chop," where several senior leaders in the same chain of command are dismissed (or even executed, at least in the old days) when there was a screw up in their area of responsibility. This approach has fallen out of favor in the West, where the tendency is to fire as few people as possible when there is a major failure. After September 11, 2001, for example, no one got fired. In Russia the vertical chop was never a magic bullet because even during the Soviet period corruption was a big problem and a major reason for the collapse of the communist Soviet Union in 1991.

Because of this Soviet legacy Russian satellite launchers have never been the most flawless, but they got the job done. Including the partial failures, the Proton has about a ten percent failure rate. However, the Russian launchers, and Russian launch facilities, are cheaper than those in the West and nearly as reliable. But the higher failure rate of the Proton rocket causes some concern among potential customers. Nevertheless, the Proton is so cheap that you can afford to pay more for insurance. And there is some comfort in knowing that the RSA suits put their jobs on the line every time one of those rockets is launched.

The repercussions continue in the wake of all the sloppy decisions and stupid mistakes that have led to the loss of launchers and satellites. Another shake up of the RSA is expected if the government can find someone more qualified than Vladimir Popovkin to do the deed. Senior government officials know that Popovkin is not the problem and that the corrupt environment he has to work in is. Cleaning that up means cleaning up the corruption throughout Russian society. That requires more than the vertical chop, it takes time and persistence.  

July 25, 2013 IntelliBriefs

July 12, 2013 Joan Johnson-Freese, Professor at US Naval War College

Arms control opponents repeatedly and consistently use the difficulty in defining what constitutes an anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon as a reason not to engage in ASAT arms control efforts.  Broadly defined, an ASAT weapon can include anything that can destroy or disable a satellite, including by kinetic impact, ground-based or satellite equipped lasers, or, as the Soviets insisted in the 1970’s, a spacecraft like the Space Shuttle which maneuvers and has a robotic arm theoretically capable of plucking a satellite out of the heavens and capturing it. Some of these are clearly dedicated ASAT weapons with no other real use; others offer ASAT “capabilities” though perhaps not as its primary purpose. Clearly, however, under any definition the 2007 Chinese intercept and destruction of one of its own moribund satellites at about 850 km above the earth constituted the testing of a hit-to-kill ASAT weapon.  China is rapidly learning both the technology and the political nuance necessary to develop an ASAT capability while avoiding international condemnation.

China suffered global condemnation after that 2007 test, primarily in conjunction with the over 3000 pieces of debris irresponsibly created by the kinetic impact that will dangerously linger in and travel through highly-populated low earth orbits for decades. Lesson 1 for China: Space debris does not distinguish between space assets. The debris created by their ASAT test put everyone’s space assets at risk, including Chinese assets. Ironically, the U.S. government has on several occasions provided collision alerts to China, so they could avoid debris they created. Therefore, creation of space debris is to be avoided.

The United States most loudly protested the test, but even it had to be careful about the language of the protest so as not to create potential inhibitions on its own ASAT aspirations, and to minimize the backlash regarding the do-as-we-say-not-as-we-do nature of its criticism of China. The U.S., after all, developed ASAT capabilities in the 1970’s, though it stopped overtly testing after recognizing the potential damage caused by the debris created. Furthermore, the Chinese have long contended that missile defense technology is basically the same as ASAT technology, a contention with which most American analysts concur and missile defense proponents ignore.

After China conducted its kinetic test in 2007, the United States used missile defense technology in 2008 to destroy one of its own failing spy satellites, USA 193. Operation Burnt Frost, as the U.S. effort was called, received relatively little press coverage in the United States beyond space and security policy trade publications. In those publications, however, the operation was debated as a genuinely needed effort to destroy the satellite and with it the potentially toxic hydrazine onboard from reaching earth as it deorbited, or a tit-for-tat demonstration of U.S. ASAT capabilities. The U.S. destroyed the satellite at an altitude of about 250 km, low enough that most debris harmlessly burned up as it reentered the atmosphere, and received little international blowback beyond protests from China and Russia.

Hence the conundrum of dual-use technology – valuable to both the civil and military communities, and difficult to decipher as either offensive or defensive – makes a definitive determination of intent nearly impossible. As a high percentage of space technology is dual use, speculation regarding intent is often the best that can be done. Given the low level of political trust between the U.S. and China, both sides often assume the worst.

Operation Burnt Frost confirmed not only the symbiotic nature of missile defense and ASAT technology, but that missile defense tests largely escape the international condemnation of ASAT tests. Also, kinetic impacts conducted at low altitudes where the debris largely burns up as it falls through the atmosphere, or on a ballistic target to minimize debris creation, are politically acceptable. So the second lesson China learned regarding how to develop ASAT capabilities and avoid political condemnation was to not call testing its capabilities ASAT tests, and conduct impact tests in such a way as to not create long-lived orbital debris.

China is not the only country to have learned these lessons. India, which appears determined to develop an ASAT capability, has been conducting missile defense cum ASAT intercept attempts since 2006. India seems to be suffering from a Non-Proliferation Treaty hangover, where it was excluded from nuclear status. India now seems determined to possess an ASAT capability before arms control provisions potentially again separate countries into ASAT have and have-nots.

In terms of technology, China is advancing on the learning curve.

China conducted what it now called missile defense tests, though de facto ASAT capabilities tests, in January 2010 and January 2013. Those tests used the same technology as in 2007, but without intercepting a target and so without creating debris. While there had been speculation in January 2013 that China might attempt to strike a target in medium earth orbit (MEO) to show that vulnerability of US Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites that did not occur.  Not only is China developing its own navigational satellite system, potentially at risk from debris in MEO, experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists have shown that “significantly reducing the capability of the U.S. GPS system would take a large-scale and well-coordinated attack, so much so that targeting these satellites may not be an effective strategy.”

On May 13, 2013, China changed its rhetoric, and demonstrated that it could reach much targets at much higher altitudes than previously. China stated that it had launched a sub-orbital rocket to carry a science payload to study the earth’s magnetosphere. Jonathan McDowell at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who follows Chinese launches, confirmed that the rocket had reached at least 10,000 km, possibly much higher, the highest suborbital launch since 1976. He further stated that most scientific suborbital launches, as the Chinese launch was officially posited to be, are at most to approximately 1,500 km. Lieutenant Colonel Monica Matoush, a Pentagon spokesperson, stated about the Chinese launch, “we tracked several objects during the flight but did not observe the insertion of any objects into space and no objects associated with this launch remain in space.” U.S. defense officials are concerned that the same technology could be used to destroy U.S. space assets at higher altitudes than previously.

Whatever China’s real intent, the veil of dual use technology provides plausible deniability, just as it did for the United States with Operation Burnt Frost. Representative Randy Forbes (R-VA), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on June 3, requesting more information on the May 13 Chinese launch. The questions to Secretary Hagel included: 1) Was the launch part of China’s antisatellite program and 2) If the launch was part of China’s antisatellite program, why did China attempt to hide disguise it as a scientific experiment? There are no conclusive answers to either. Speculation regarding intent is the best that can be offered in addressing the first question. Concerning the second question, it seems clear that the Chinese have learned, from the U.S. and other countries, to use the political deniability of dual use technology to their advantage.

The United States knew that China was intending to test an ASAT prior to its 2007 test. However, it chose to remain silent, and protest later. Keeping quiet and protesting and requesting information afterward has been the U.S. approach since 2007 as well.

Brian Weeden at the Secure World Foundation suggests that while doing so allows the U.S. to protect is intelligence sources and methods, and potentially bolster its own ASAT capabilities, it also allows those opposed to the Obama Administration’s diplomatic efforts to use launches as a political weapon, and potentially sends a signal to Beijing that ASAT tests are acceptable as long as debris is not created. Weeden wants the Administration to be more transparent about China’s ASAT program, in terms of the launch site location, type of missile used, and altitude reached, toward leveraging international opinion against the irresponsibility of testing such systems.

Georgetown Law School Professor David Koplow has an article forthcoming that suggests building on -- basically reinterpreting -- current legal norms as an incremental approach to halting ASAT testing.

Clearly, the keeping silent approach has not been successful if the U.S. goal is to get the Chinese to cease ASAT testing, under any and all names. But as long as the U.S. – and other countries -- continues to develop, test, and deploy missile defense that is unlikely to happen, given the dual use nature of the technology. That being the case, incremental arms control management seems a much more realistic approach – assuming that those countries with potential ASAT capabilities actually want the testing of these technologies to stop. That, however, increasingly seems a big assumption.

July 24, 2013 Source: Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments

Today, at a congressional briefing sponsored by Rep. Doug Lamborn, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments released a new study on The Future of MILSATCOM. The study explores the difficult choices facing the United States as it plans the next-generation military satellite communications architecture.

The report’s author, CSBA Senior Fellow Todd Harrison, argues that if the U.S. military is committed to a strategy of assured access in the face of anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities, as the 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance states, the Department must adapt the MILSATCOM architecture to operate in a more contested environment.

However, increasing protected MILSATCOM capacity by starting new programs or continuing to conduct business as usual is unwise given the fiscal constraints the nation faces.

This report offers a number of specific recommendations on how to bridge the gap between the capabilities needed and the funding available:

• Transition from a two-tier MILSATCOM architecture (protected and unprotected) to a three-tier architecture, creating a middle tier that extends a lower level of protection to tactical users, while exploring the potential of hosted protected payloads.

• Pivot to the Pacific in space by inviting key allies in the region, such as Japan, Australia, and South Korea, to be part of the middle tier of the architecture to improve our partners’ capabilities and interoperability, reduce costs, and complicate the planning of potential adversaries.

• Counter adversaries' cost-imposing strategies by steering the competition in a more favorable direction.

• Leverage current programs, namely AEHF, to build and evolve new capabilities rather than starting new programs to fill the gap left by the cancellation of TSAT.

• Do not force competition where it does not exist because competition that is not self-sustaining by natural market forces is not healthy for industry or cost-effective for the government.

• Consolidate MILSATCOM programs, budgets, and operations under one Service to create better alignment of authorities and budgets for MILSATCOM, reduce redundancy and overhead costs across the Services, and enable better control of MILSATCOM system synchronization.


Click here for the full report (57 PDF pages) on the CSBA website.

23/07/2013 Michel Cabirol, à Abu Dhabi – LaTribune.fr

La France a conclu lundi un contrat de plus de 700 millions d'euros pour fournir aux Emirats arabes unis deux satellites militaires d'observation, signe selon Paris du rétablissement de la confiance entre deux partenaires stratégiques. Retour sur une négociation qui a connu des hauts et des bas pour les Français.

La France est enfin de retour dans les contrats d'armement aux Emirats Arabes Unis. Après une longue période d'abstinence d'environ six ans, elle a remporté lundi un contrat de plus de 700 millions d'euros portant sur la vente de deux satellites d'observation de la classe des Pléiades, qui seront en service dans cinq ans. Les deux constructeurs, Astrium, maître d'œuvre du projet, et Thales Alenia Space (TAS), qui se partagent ce contrat à parité, ont réussi à arracher ce contrat pourtant promis en début de l'année à l'américain Lockheed Martin.

Mais c'était sans compter sur la ténacité du ministre de la Défense, Jean-Yves Le Drian, qui a su construire en peu de temps une très bonne relation de confiance avec l'homme fort des Emirats, le prince héritier cheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Surtout « Jean-Yves Le Drian y a cru jusqu'au bout », confie-t-on dans l'entourage du ministre de la Défense même quand la France était au creux de la vague. Retour sur une négociation, qui est passée par des hauts et des bas lors des sept derniers mois.

Sérénité dans le camp français

Fin 2012, les industriels français - Astrium et TAS - sont confiants dans la compétition qu'ils livrent depuis 2008 aux Emirats désireux de s'équiper de deux satellites d'observation ayant une résolution de 50 cm - à l'époque les Emiratis ne veulent pas plus. C'est le projet Falcon Eye. Les Français ont fait une meilleure proposition que l'américain Raytheon, qui est 20 % plus cher. Ils sont favoris et attendent fin 2012 un geste du prince héritier pour terminer à Abu Dhabi la négociation du contrat. Car c'est lui, et lui seul, qui décide des investissements en matière de défense et des coopérations militaires aux EAU. Début décembre, une délégation émiratie de haut niveau assiste à Kourou au lancement du satellite d'observation français Pléiades 1B par le lanceur russe Soyuz. Il règne encore dans le camp français un optimisme raisonnable. Même si les discussions trainent comme souvent dans le Golfe, cela ne provoque pas plus d'inquiétude que cela en France.

Un nouveau compétiteur redoutable, Lockheed Martin

Pourtant ce que ne savent pas encore les deux groupes français, c'est que les Américains, et plus précisément, Lockheed Martin, ont contre-attaqué et obligé les Emirats à considérer une proposition non sollicitée très intéressante, notamment sur le plan technique. Le groupe américain propose un satellite dont la commande a été annulée par la National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), une agence du département de la défense des Etats-Unis qui a pour fonction de collecter, analyser et diffuser du renseignement géospatial en utilisant l'imagerie satellite. Avec un satellite sur les bras, Lockheed Martin saute sur l'opportunité de le proposer aux EAU. Ce satellite - Digital Globe - a une résolution de 34 cm, bien supérieure à celle proposée dans le cadre de l'appel d'offre. Washington s'est également mis au service de son industrie en signant avec Abu Dhabi un accord intergouvernemental régissant les conditions d'utilisation du satellite. Bref, la machine américaine déroule toute sa puissance face à des petits "Frenchies", qui n'ont pas encore senti la menace.

En février, au salon de l'armement d'IDEX à Abu Dhabi, douche glacée pour les Français. Les Emiratis les informent de la proposition de Lockheed Martin qu'ils ne semblent pas pouvoir refuser. Abu Dhabi est alors très près d'accepter l'offre américaine. Pourtant, de façon très opportune, cheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, qui a noué des relations de confiance avec Jean-Yves Le Drian, accepte d'attendre une nouvelle offre des deux constructeurs tricolores. Sonné par cette mauvaise surprise, le camp français « cornaqué » par le ministre repart au combat et décide de réagir face à cette nouvelle proposition venue d'ailleurs, qui rebat toutes les cartes de cette compétition.

Une nouvelle offre française

Demandé par les deux constructeurs depuis plusieurs mois, un accord intergouvernemental, exigé par les Emiratis, est finalement signé par la France. Lors de son passage au salon de défense IDEX, le ministre de la Défense paraphe à la satisfaction des Emiratis cet accord avec le prince héritier. Et il assure qu'il reviendra aux Emirats avec une nouvelle offre française définitive et engageante six semaines après. Ce qui a été fait même si Jean-Yves Le Drian n'est pas revenu aux Emirats. « Nous devions rétablir un cadre de confiance et un dialogue respectueux entre la France et les Emirats Arabes Unis, explique Jean-Yves Le Drian. Je ne viens pas aux Emirats avec un catalogue d'armements mais pour avoir une relation de confiance dans la compréhension de l'un et de l'autre ».

A son retour en France, Jean-Yves Le Drian est très clair. Pas question pour les industriels de partir en ordre dispersé. Astrium et TAS, qui se chamaillent pour tirer les prix au plus bas, doivent coopérer - l'Etat a été très clair, il veut une offre commune. Les deux constructeurs travaillent sur une nouvelle offre technique améliorée pour la mettre au niveau de celle de Lockheed Martin. Ce qui n'est irréalisable pour les deux partenaires. Deux solutions sont étudiées. Soit dégrader une version d'un satellite de type Helios, soit augmenter la performance d'un satellite de type Pléiades. C'est la deuxième solution qui est retenue, ce qui exige quelques petits développements à réaliser par rapport aux satellites français en service. Cette solution permet en revanche de proposer par la suite un nouvel équipement de très haute résolution à l'export. « Astrium et Thales ont bien travaillé », souligne le ministre.

Signature du contrat en juillet ?

La France n'a pas encore perdu la compétition... mais elle ne l'a pas non plus gagné. Loin de là. L'offre française est au moins au même niveau que celle de Lockheed Martin. Elle peut faire la différence sur les conditions d'utilisation des satellites, qui sont plus souples que celles régissant les satellites américains beaucoup plus strictes. Mais surtout grâce à la nouvelle relation de confiance tissée entre Jean-Yves Le Drian et cheikh Mohamed. Début juillet, le camp français, qui a travaillé et maintenu la pression sur le client, sent à nouveau les choses tournées en sa faveur. Entre mars et juin, Jean-Yves Le Drian n'a pas lâché l'affaire et a passé plusieurs coups de téléphone à cheikh Mohamed. La Direction générale de l'armement fournit également un travail colossal et contribue à la réussite du camp français. Tout comme l'ambassade de France à Abu Dhabi.

Le cabinet de Jean-Yves Le Drian songe dès le mois de juin à préparer une visite aux Emirats. Une visite est finalement programmée début juillet, Jean-Yves Le Drian y va notamment pour convaincre le prince héritier. Mais les Emiratis, qui sont de bons négociateurs, soufflent le chaud et le froid. Durant toute la semaine qui précède cette visite, l'hôtel de Brienne a été soumis à rude épreuve par les Emiratis, experts en la matière, et est passé par des hauts et des bas : du succès des négociations au report du voyage. Le ministre de la Défense prend toutefois la décision de s'envoler le dimanche 7 juillet pour les Emirats. Sans certitude aucune, le ministre, qui s'est beaucoup démené pour ce projet, a finalement décidé d'y aller et d'emmener avec lui le PDG de Thales, Jean-Bernard Lévy, ainsi que celui d'Astrium, François Auque, pour tenter d'arracher une décision d'Abu Dhabi. Objectif du camp français, terminer les négociations. Il reste notamment à négocier le prix des deux satellites.

Une négociation marathon

Une fois sur place, les Français ont dû continuer à batailler dans le bon sens terme avec des Emiratis toujours très exigeants. Et le ministre a pris plus que sa part dans les discussions. D'ailleurs Jean-Yves Le Drian et cheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan se sont croisés plusieurs fois par jour lors du séjour de la délégation française à Abu Dhabi. Lundi, le round des négociations s'est même terminé au petit matin sans pouvoir toper. Mais les négociateurs, qui avaient réussi à lever un à un les derniers obstacles, semblaient alors convaincus d'une signature le mardi. En dépit d'une intense négociation, qui a duré trois jours à Abu Dhabi, Jean-Yves Le Drian, n'a pu obtenir du prince héritier la signature du contrat. Partie remise ? Certainement car cheikh Mohamed promet plusieurs fois pendant la négociation à la France ce contrat.

Frustration et déception

De retour à Paris, c'est pourtant la frustration et la déception qui dominent. Mais également l'incompréhension. Certains estiment qu'ils ont laissé passer leur chance. D'autres pensent que les Américains ont fait pression sur Abu Dhabi pour ne pas signer. Car une nouvelle exigence émiratie de dernière minute a fait capoter le mardi les négociations, selon des sources concordantes. Abu Dhabi souhaitait raccourcir le délai de livraison des deux satellites. Résultat, pas de contrat signé comme attendu. Et pourtant les Français ont fait le forcing. A la demande des industriels, le ministre est même resté mardi sur place - il devait rentrer lundi à Paris - pour convaincre l'homme fort de signer lors d'une négociation marathon et plutôt bien maîtrisée jusqu'à la rupture des discussions. Las, cette dernière exigence a eu raison de la volonté des industriels de signer. Ce ne sera finalement pas le cas. La France ne conclura pas cette fois-ci.

Pourquoi un tel échec ? "La France a encore oublié que l'on n'impose pas un calendrier de signature aux Emiratis, qui n'aiment pas être mis sous la pression d'un Etat étranger dans une négociation", explique un bon connaisseur de ces dossiers à La Tribune. Aussi simple que cela... Et très certainement vrai au vu de la nouvelle tournure des événements. Très vite le prince héritier donne de nouveaux gages à la France. Il promet d'envoyer son équipe de négociateurs de trois, quatre personnes à Paris. Il tient parole. Très vite d'ailleurs. La délégation émiratie arrive discrètement à Paris le lundi 15. Entre les Emirats et la France, c'est à nouveau très, très chaud... L'échec du premier round est à ranger au rayon des péripéties d'une négociation. Finalement les deux camps topent le mardi, Astrium (maître d'oeuvre) et TAS ayant fait une partie du chemin en réduisant un peu les délais de livraison des deux satellites comme exigé par les Emiratis. Un accord est paraphé dans la foulée à Paris.

Organiser la cérémonie de la signature

Une fois l'accord en poche, la France et les Emirats doivent organiser la cérémonie de la signature. Un événement arrangé entre Jean-Yves Le Drian et cheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Ce sera lundi 22 juillet à Abu Dhabi. C'est le premier gros contrat militaire conclu par la France depuis l'arrivée du gouvernement Ayrault en mai dernier. Arrivé lundi en fin d'après-midi, Jean-Yves Le Drian, qui a beaucoup, beaucoup mouillé la chemise sur ce projet, descend de l'avion et assiste à la signature en présence du PDG d'Astrium François Auque et du PDG de TAS, Jean-Loïc Galle ainsi que du directeur général délégué en charge de la stratégie et de l'international d'EADS, Marwan Lahoud, et du patron des ventes d'EADS, Jean-Pierre Talamoni.

Concrètement, le contrat Falcon Eye prévoit la fourniture et le lancement de deux satellites d'observation, une station de contrôle et la formation d'une vingtaine d'ingénieurs émiratis. La commande est accompagnée d'un accord d'Etat à Etat qui prévoit une aide des militaires français à leurs homologues afin d'interpréter les images et partager les renseignements recueillis, indique-t-on dans l'entourage du ministre de la Défense. Les deux satellites devraient être lancés en 2019, indique-t-on de source industrielle. "Ce soir on franchit un cap, c'est l'établissement de la confiance", a estimé Jean-Yves Le Drian dans l'avion qui l'emmenait vers Abu Dhabi. Il a expliqué qu'il avait trouvé à sa prise de fonction en mai 2012 une relation "cassée : il y avait une rupture de confiance, il ne se passait plus rien".

Dernières commandes en 2007

Les dernières commandes militaires significatives de ce client traditionnel de la France remontaient à 2007, avec le contrat Yahsat portant sur la livraison de deux satellites de communication, et l'achat de trois avions ravitailleurs MRTT à Airbus Military. La France a cependant établi en 2009 aux Emirats sa seule base militaire en dehors d'Afrique où 700 hommes sont stationnés en permanence et est liée avec ce pays par un partenariat unique, souligne-t-on au cabinet du ministre. Les responsables français attribuent cette mauvaise passe à l'insistance du gouvernement précédent à vendre des Rafale à Abu Dhabi, déjà équipé de Mirage 2000-9 très modernes, sans assez d'égards envers ses interlocuteurs.

Outre les satellites d'observation, la France compte également vendre 60 avions de combat Rafale (Dassault Aviation), 700 Véhicules blindés de combat d'infanterie (VBCI) de Nexter ainsi que des radars de défense aérienne 3D tactique multimissions à moyenne portée, le Ground Master 200 (GM200) fabriqués par Thales. La France et les Emirats entretiennent de longue date une coopération de défense, notamment dans le domaine de l'armement. Entre 2007 et 2011, les prises de commandes se sont élevées à 2,1 milliards tandis que les livraisons de matériels ont atteint 1,9 milliard d'euros, selon le rapport au Parlement de 2012 sur les exportations d'armement de la France.

20/07 Par Alain Ruello – LesEchos.fr

Les Emirats Arabes Unis achètent à EADS et Thales deux satellites d’observation pour plus de 700 millions d’euros. Dans l’entourage du ministre français, on souligne le nouveau départ entre les deux pays en matière d’armement.

Jean-Yves Le Drian s’envole lundi matin pour un périple express à Abou Dhabi avec à la clé « son » premier gros contrat export depuis qu’il a été nommé ministre de la défense. La signature porte sur la vente à Abou Dhabi de deux satellites d’observation fabriqués en coopération par Astrium et Thales Alenia Space pour un peu plus de 700 millions d’euros.

L’affaire est importante à plus d’un titre. Par son montant d’abord. Le précédent gouvernement n’ayant pas réussi à boucler les négociations pour la vente de 60 Rafale (sans pour autant qu’elles soient abandonnées), cela fait plusieurs années que des industriels français n’ont rien signé de significatif avec les Emirats Arabes Unis, pourtant un de leurs clients historiques.

Seront sur place pour la signature Marwan Lahoud, le patron de la stratégie et des affaires internationales d’EADS et François Auque, celui d’Astrium. Thales Alenia Space sera représenté par son patron, Jean-Loïc Galle, la présence de Jean-Bernard Lévy, le PDG de Thales, n’étant pas certaine pour des questions d’agenda.

Nouveau départ

Dans l’entourage de Jean-Yves Le Drian, on souligne par ailleurs que ce contrat marque un nouveau départ dans la relation bilatérale en matière d’armement. Aux coups de boutoirs trop pressants de Nicolas Sarkozy ont succédé une remise à plat de la façon de procéder, faite d’écoute du client et d’engagements réfléchis et tenables. Le tout sous la baguette du ministre de la Défense qui n’entend pas marcher sur les plates-bandes des industriels. Tenace comme tous les bretons, il a visiblement tissé une relation de confiance avec Cheikh Mohammed ben Zayed Al Nahyane, le prince héritier du royaume et grand patron de la Défense. Mais que de sueur pour en arriver là !

Jusqu’au dernier moment la concurrence a été féroce avec les Etats-Unis et Lockheed Martin. Il y a deux semaines, la délégation française était sur place pour, espérait-elle, boucler l’affaire qui avait été sortie des sables en février lors du dernier salon Idex. L’équipe France s’est alors heurtée à un tir de barrage de Washington dont le secrétaire d’Etat à la défense aurait appelé directement Cheikh Mohammed ben Zayed Al Nahyane pour que son champion l’emporte. « Dans le salles de réunion, on trouvait des blocs notes de Lockheed Martin », raconte un des négociateurs français…

Redoutables négociateurs, les émiriens en ont profité pour demander aux français que les satellites soient livrés le plus vite possible. Décidé à ne pas lâcher l’affaire comme cela, Jean-Yves Le Drian bouscule son agenda pour rester une journée de plus. Pas question de repartir à Paris sans avoir une explication cordiale mais franche avec Cheikh Mohammed. La rencontre aura lieu dans une résidence privée du prince. Le ministre français et sa délégation repartent le 9 juillet, sans voir conclu, mais avec le bon espoir d’y parvenir. Il aura fallu quelques jours de plus.

July 11, 2013 Source: Inmarsat

Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, has announced the successful demonstration of its L-TACTM service on-the-move in vehicles at speeds up to 70 mph [112 kph].

The newly launched L-TAC service will provide approved government customers with a low cost Tactical UHF Satellite (TACSAT) capability solution, which allows soldiers on foot or in vehicles to communicate on-the-move, using their existing UHF tactical radios.

Available for order in July and for connectivity in August 2013, Inmarsat’s latest offering is the next step in the expansion of mobile Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) communications provided by the innovative technology behind its L-band satellites.

The L-band service uses smaller antennas than the UHF equivalent, making it practical to offer compact, inexpensive omni-directional antennas for mounted and dismounted use.

Andy Start, President, Inmarsat Global Government, commented: ““We have successfully demonstrated robust L-TAC communications from vehicles at speeds up to 70 mph. This will have huge military utility, for example coordinating logistic convoys moving over long distances or for command and control of widely dispersed vehicle patrols manoeuvring in difficult terrain.

“Our small, lightweight man-pack version offers the same comms on the move capability to dismounted soldiers. This is a real game-changing capability. Convoys and patrols won’t have to pause while using their TACSAT, and that means improved tempo and less time spent vulnerable to attack. We have received very positive feedback during the trial stage and governments around the world have already expressed keen interest in the service. L-TAC will provide a new, innovative and affordable means to gain maximum value from the investment they have made in their existing tactical radios.”

TACSAT is in very high demand by government users as it easily and reliably extends tactical Push-to-Talk radio networks to wide area BLOS operations, but existing networks are oversubscribed. Inmarsat’s L-TAC service, announced earlier this year, will complement existing capacity with a single-hop, low-latency voice and data service, providing additional capacity when UHF channels are unavailable. The powerful Inmarsat-4 constellation of satellites provides this capability across the globe. To access the service, users require only a small, light-weight adaptor to convert their existing radio to L-band and an L-band replacement for their existing UHF antenna.

Inmarsat has partnered with Spectra to develop the Slingshot system, which comprises a power supply, frequency convertor and antenna. SlingShot works with existing tactical military radios and requires minimal additional training to provide BLOS communications without the need for supplementary infrastructure or additional cumbersome gear. Slingshot™ supports the majority of military TACSAT radios and has already been tested with the most widely used types. Combined with Inmarsat’s L-TAC leased service, it is fully flexible and designed to meet security and reliability requirements cost-effectively. Users will be able to lease the service for periods as short as one month in either narrow spot beams, larger regional beams or beams customized to meet their area of operations.

Simon Davies, Managing Director, Spectra Group (UK) Ltd said: “The ability to use existing radios spread over long distances in the field to increase operational capabilities without straining government budgets is critical. As governments around the world review military budgets, offering a device which meets military standards, without large capital expenditure is a highly compelling offer.”

Inmarsat plc is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. Inmarsat employs around 1,600 staff in more than 60 locations around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of commerce on every continent.

Jul 11, 2013 ASDNews Source : European Space Agency (ESA)

Deployment of the solar wings on the latest Galileo satellite is shown being checked at ESA’s technical hub in the Netherlands. The navigation satellite’s pair of 1 x 5 m solar wings, carrying more than 2500 state-of-the-art gallium arsenide solar cells, will power the satellite during its 12-year working life.

A counterweighted rig supports the deployment, otherwise the delicate fold-out wings – designed for the weightlessness of space – would crumple under the pull of Earth gravity.

With the first four Galileo ‘In-Orbit Validation’ satellites already in orbit, this is the first of the rest of Europe’s satnav constellation.

These ‘Full Operational Capability’ satellites provide the same operational services as their predecessors, but they are built by a new industrial team: OHB in Bremen, Germany build the satellites with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd in Guildford, UK contributing the navigation payloads.

There are also a lot more of them: this satellite is only the first of 22 ordered from OHB. It arrived at ESA’s ESTEC research and technical centre in Noordwijk in mid-May to begin a rigorous campaign of testing in simulated launch and space conditions, guaranteeing its readiness for launch.

The very first test performed on the satellite once it came out of its container was a System Compatibility Test Campaign, linking it up with the Galileo Control Centres in Germany and Italy and ground user receivers as if it was already in orbit.

Galileo’s wings with 30%-efficient solar cells were fitted at the end of June, supplied by Dutch Space in nearby Leiden.

Future satellites will have their wings fitted at OHB before coming to ESTEC, but this first satellite offered an opportunity for Dutch Space engineers to train their OHB counterparts in the procedure.

“The 22 Galileo FOC satellites are being produced and tested on a batch production basis, which is a new way of working for ESA,” explained Jean-Claude Chiarini, overseeing FOC satellite procurement for the Agency.

“The concept is really to set up a steady flow of satellites from OHB to ESTEC and then Kourou for launch over the next few years.

“The first four will undergo full validation testing, checking the underlying design is correct, in order to support the formal ground qualification of the design, with subsequent FOC satellites then going through acceptance testing, concentrating on checking workmanship.”

The FOC satellites, while resembling their predecessors, are designed with this production concept in mind. Hinged modules offer easy access to internal subsystems for rapid repair or potential replacement of units.

The next satellite is due to arrive around the start of August. The battery of simulations includes vibration and acoustic testing, as well as thermal–vacuum testing – submitting them to the airlessness and temperature extremes of space for weeks at a time.