Transcript Draft Proposal: Space Weather as part of an Optional Space

Draft Proposal:
Space Weather as part of an
Optional Space Situational
Awareness Programme
A. Glover,
E. Daly, R. Marsden, A. Hilgers, SWWT
ESWW4, 5-9th November 2007
Framework/Context
Space Situation Awareness “is defined as a comprehensive
knowledge, understanding and maintained awareness of (i) the
population of space objects; and (ii) of the space environment”
…is a concept that has grown out of the increasing dependence of
the modern world on space systems – telecom, navigation,
surveillance, etc.
Concept originates with US military – but civilian systems
(particularly in Europe) are just as susceptible – Europe needs
to develop both policy and capacity.
ESWW4, 5-9th November 2007
High-Level SSA Concepts
Provide users with verifiable, dependable, accurate and timely
information in order to:
• Identify non-compliance with relevant international treaties and
recommendations
• Enable the assumption of responsibility (e.g. as launching state,
owner, or operator), and support confidence building measures
• Support safe and secured operation of space assets and related
services
• Support risk management (on orbit and during re-entry) and liability
assessment
• Assess the functional status and capabilities of space systems
Information must be provided with integrity, with an architecture
enabling the implementation of a data policy, based on an
autonomous European SSA system.
ESWW4, 5-9th November 2007
Motivation for action on Space Weather
• Recent initiatives have revealed both space weather needs and skills
bases in Europe
• Development of a more coordinated European approach could be used
to strengthen international cooperation & exchange on basis of
partnership.
• At the same time there is a perceived need to build a European
framework in the context of Space Situational Awareness.
• Space weather is seen as one of three axes for Space Situational
Awareness :
– Survey, Tracking,
– Imaging
– Space weather (space environment monitoring)
At present it is proposed to introduce at the next ESA Ministerial Council
an ESA Optional Programme for Space Situational Awareness which
may include an element of space weather
ESWW4, 5-9th November 2007
Proposal Scope
• Develop an ESA-led space weather initiative, including
the establishment of a European Centre for Space
Weather Services as part of an optional Space
Situational Awareness programme
• The initiative would aim to:
– Provide a focal point for coordinating ongoing European activities
of the kind initiated in the framework of the Space Weather
Applications Pilot Project (SWAPP),
– Provide a stable nucleus for the development, testing and
deployment of future space weather services in Europe.
ESWW4, 5-9th November 2007
Rationale
ESA-funded studies conducted between 1999 and 2006 have identified a number of
important benefits that a coordinated European space weather programme would
provide. These include:
•
Economic benefits: Improvement in the ability to circumvent space weather
problems in all domains. A space weather service coordinated through ESA would
deliver products to improve the quality and efficiency of design and operation of
increasingly sensitive technologies in many domains of strategic importance to
Europe.
•
Strategic benefits: International Partnerships and security of European assets
•
Security benefits: Security forces rely heavily on technological systems which can
be strongly affected by space weather. A European space weather programme would
provide independent access and/or a firm basis for collaboration;
•
Research and Development A space weather programme would allow opportunities
for cutting-edge technology developments in many space and ground technologies of
strategic interest to European industry plus the long time-series of consistent data
would be beneficial for future scientific research interests;
•
Collaboration Several European member states have world-class modelling and
instrumentation resources which could gain considerably from a collaborative
framework. Facilitation of this collaboration is the natural role of ESA.
ESWW4, 5-9th November 2007
A European Centre for
Space
Weather
Services
Mandate: establish and develop sustainable European space weather
services, based firmly on the analyses and fulfilment of user requirements,
building on the positive outcome of the SWAPP.
.
Framework: distributed data sources and services tied together by a highperformance IT infrastructure, building on existing partnerships and
collaborations
Specific tasks:
– Coordinating space weather resources and services at a European level;
– Ensuring close collaboration with National agencies and the EC in order to
ensure continued operation and modernisation of facilities;
– Ensuring the coordination, processing and exploitation of space weather-related
data resources;
– Establishing products (models and tools) addressing space weather effects;
– Maintaining close contact with the user community in order to anticipate evolving
requirements, and to develop customer awareness and marketing strategies;
– Coordinating (and where necessary, initiating) targeted research and
development, including relevant scientific research;
– Establishing the necessary measurement capabilities to support European space
weather services;
ESWW4, 5-9th November 2007
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