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Ceas - Ae 1-2021 - V. Def - Jps
Ceas - Ae 1-2021 - V. Def - Jps
AEROSPACE
EUROPE
THE EUROPEAN DEFENCE AGENCY’S WORK IN R&T IS IN LINE WITH ITS
MISSION TO SUPPORT MEMBER STATES EFFORTS TO IMPROVE DEFENCE
CAPABILITIES. EDA ORGANISES ITS R&T PRIORITIES IN DIFFERENT CAPABILI-
TY TECHNOLOGY AREAS - ‘CapTechs’ – WHICH ARE FORA FOR EXPERTS FROM
GOVERNMENTS, INDUSTRY, SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZE ENTERPRISES (SMEs)
AND ACADEMIA
n 12 Full Member Societies: 3AF (France), AIAE (Spain), n AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin
n 4 Corporate Members: ESA, EASA, EUROCONTROL and n ASD, EASA, EDA, ESA, EUROCONTROL, OCCAR
EUROAVIA;
n 8 Societies having signed a Memorandum of Unders- HONOURS AND AWARDS:
tanding (MoU) with CEAS: AAE (Air and Space Aca- n Annual CEAS Gold Medal
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 2 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE CEAS MEMBERS AND PARTNERS
EUROPE
[email protected] - www.coiae.es Executive and Team Assistant: No.4 Hamilton Place – London
President: Mrs Estefanía Matesanz Birgit Neuland - [email protected] W1 J 7 BQ – United Kingdom
Romero - [email protected] Conference Manager: Torsten Tel.:+ 44 (0)20 76 70 4300
CEAS Trustees: Arturo de Vicente Schilling – [email protected] [email protected]
Hurtado – [email protected] n Flyg- och Rymdtekniska Förenin- www.aerosociety.com
Mrs Estefanía Matesanz Romero gen (FTF) Swedish Society for Aero- President: Jonathan Cooper
Secretary: [email protected] nautics and Astronautics – Bengt CEAS Trustees: Emma Bossom
n Associazione Italiana di Aeronau- Moberg – Box 357 - [email protected]
tica e Astronautica (AIDAA) SE-101 27 Stockholm Air Cdre Peter Round
Casella Postale 227 – I-00187 Roma [email protected] Chief Executive:
V.R. – Tel / Fax : +39 366 144 21 31 President: Dr Roland Karlsson Sir Brian Burridge FRAeS
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 3 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
CEAS MEMBERS AND PARTNERS AEROSPACE
EUROPE
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 4 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE LIFE OF CEAS
EUROPE
EDITORIAL
RESILIENCE CONTENTS
I would like first of all to thank very much all contributors to this bul-
letin thanks to whom we have been able to cover a wide range of CEAS
subjects, from the interview with Jean-François Ripoche, Head of – Presentation - Members and Partners 2-4
Research and Innovation at the European Defence Agency, to the
– Editorial 5
training of candidate astronauts at Novespace, passing through
aeronautics technology with articles about the future of aircraft pro- – 2020 CEAS Annual Report – 6
Zdobyslaw Goraj, Past CEAS President
pulsion, civil aviation operations with the presentation of the ESA
‘IRIS’ satellite communication system for Air Traffic Management – CEAS President Elect’s Message – 7
Franco Bernelli
(ATM), and a report on the latest Space missions.
Next, I have to express the warmest thanks of the CEAS manage- – Farewells of Mercedes Oliver-Herrero, 8
CEAS DG from 2009 to 2020
ment team to three persons who are leaving the CEAS Directorate,
for their major contribution to the development of our association: – Andrea Alaimo, new CEAS DG 9
Presiident Zdobyslaw Goraj, Director General Mercedes Oliver-Her- – Anders Blom, new CEAS VP Awards 9
rero and VP Awards and Membership Kaj Lundhal. & Membership
They are replaced respectively by Elected President Prof. Franco – Announcement of AEC2021, Warsaw, 10-11
Bernelli, new Director General Prof. Andrea Alaimo and new VP 23-26 November 2021
Awards and Membership Prof. Anders Blom. May they receive warm – Latest issues of the CEAS Journals 12-15
congratulations and very best wishes of success.
• Personality Interview
In 2021, CEAS makes it a duty to continue increasing its notoriety
and influence with notably its biennial Conference AEC2021 which, – Interview with Jean-François Ripoche, 16-19
Head of Research, Technology and Innovation
hosted by PSAA, will be held on 23-26 November in the Institute Directorate at the European Defence Agency (EDA)
of Aviation & Warsaw University of Technology. The motto chosen
“Restore, Rethink, Redesign” illustrates the level of ambition of this • Point of view
event. In addition to the current activities, another major axis of – The many challenges of a hydrogen aircraft 20-23
effort concerns the CEAS Aeronautical and Space Journals. As a By Eric Dautriat, VP of Air and Space Academy
matter of fact, it is planned to give their development a new impulse
• Civil Aviation Operations
by sending the Calls for Papers to a wider range of potential authors.
Resilience
– Satcom for aviation: the IRIS Project 24-27
By Elodie Viau and Francesco Garutti, ESA
Due the many constraints imposed by the pandemic situation, the
work of CEAS will be all the more difficult. As everywhere, RESI- • Aeronautics Technology
LIENCE will be the deadly quality to be cultivated to be able to over- – Researches and Innovations for Next 28-30
come the obstacles. Generation Airliners Propulsion at Safrangroup
Resilience1 in psychology sciences is defined as a process of adap- Aircraft Engines by Arnaud Lebrun
ting well in face of adversity, threats and various sources of stress. – Innovation New Software, by Joana Verdera 31
This is the reason why the Dragon Capsule’s astronauts of SpaceX
• Space
Crew-1 mission of last November decided very opportunely to
name their spacecraft ‘Resilience’ owing to the long succession of – SpaceX Crew -1 ‘Resilience’ Successful Launch 32
obstacles which had paved the way of the mission’s preparation... – Successful launch of Copernicus Sentinel-6 33-34
In the same manner, the resilience’s spirit should dominate at CEAS – From Arianespace 35
during the coming months.
• Education ad Training
Dear readers, I wish you, your family and close, all the best for this – Air Zero G: Weightless with NOVESAPCE 36-38
By Jean-François Clervoy
New Year!
• Event Calendar 39-40
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 5 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
LIFE OF CEAS AEROSPACE
EUROPE
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 6 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE LIFE OF CEAS
EUROPE
ELECTED PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE In general, the year 2020 has, if still necessary, proven
the importance of education, research, and technology
as drivers for a sustainable development. Furthermore,
smart working or, better said, remote working, is beco-
ming a reality in many contexts. These facts must be
considered as drivers in any future decision-making pro-
cess, even within CEAS.
CEAS has proven to be still attractive for new national
Franco Bernelli Zazzera
associations and membership could be soon expanded
CEAS President
with newcomers. Many ideas are on the table and I
Franco Bernelli Zazzera is full professor of the De- am confident most of them will become reality. The
partment of Aerospace Science and Technology at strongest idea under discussion is how to strengthen
Politecnico di Milano. His teaching and research acti- the link between CEAS and the European agencies, that
vities are in the domain of aerospace systems. have always contributed to the advancement of aeros-
At Politecnico di Milano, he served as Erasmus coor- pace in Europe. A second important idea is to reactivate
dinator in Aerospace Engineering, deputy Dean of the many of the existing Memorandum of Understanding
Faculty of Industrial Engineering, Director of studies in with other societies around the globe, identifying clear
Aerospace Engineering, Director of the Department of actions and objectives to be achieved thanks to each
Aerospace Science and Technology. He is currently MoU. A cross-check with all member societies is planned
the delegate for international relations of the School to make sure CEAS is aligned also to their objectives and
of Industrial and Information Engineering. can help local developments, a basic pillar for streng-
He has been Chairman of PEGASUS, the European thening the aerospace community at national and Euro-
network of Aerospace Universities, and has coordi- pean level. CEAS has a strong connection with Euroavia,
nated the H2020 PERSEUS project, aiming at defining the European association of aerospace students, which
measures to improve the quality of the European ae- stimulates a long-term vision for CEAS and guarantees
rospace graduates. fresh ideas to discuss and promote. Last but not least,
CEAS is planning to organise the next Aerospace Europe
The CEAS Board of Trustees appointed me as the next Conference by the end of 2021.
President of the Council. It is for me a privilege and a The achievement of the short-term and long-term goals
great honour to accept this nomination, which I consider needs a considerable effort, but all the Trustees and the
a recognition of the historical contribution of the Italian past Presidents have declared commitment, this is the
association AIDAA to the development of CEAS. best guarantee for the success. CEAS is perfectly equip-
Undoubtedly, the life and activities of CEAS have been ped in terms of human resources, new Trustees and a
impacted in 2020 by the Covid pandemic. Associations new Director General have been nominated. The two
like CEAS have one of their main objectives in the crea- Journals edited by CEAS are gaining more visibility in the
tion of networks and relations within their domains, which international research community and the periodic CEAS
has been impossible for major part of the year. In this ter- Bulletin is proposing up-to-date discussions relevant to
rible context, CEAS has been lucky enough to celebrate the community. The human and instrumental resources
its Aerospace Europe Conference just before the global are there to allow CEAS to achieve all its objectives.
outburst of the pandemic. Let me end this message with a farewell to the former
The aerospace sector has been impacted by the pan- Director General, Mercedes Oliver-Herrero, a warm wel-
demic at a different level depending on the specific do- come to the new Director General, Andrea Alaimo, and a
mains and products. The most hardly hit is the civil avia- big thank to the former President, Zdobyslaw Goraj. I am
tion sector, we have all seen the sad pictures of airplane sure I am expressing the sentiment of the entire Board of
fleets parked in unused runways and in the most remote Trustees of CEAS if I say that we would have liked Mer-
places. On the other hand, satellite industry has suffe- cedes Oliver-Herrero as a permanent Director General,
red much less and by the end of the year the number of her dedication to the role has been always exceptional.
launches should be inline with the past year. CEAS wishes her all the best for her professional trajec-
In the critical situation created by Covid, the aerospace tories and duties. That said, I am sure the new Director
sector has proven to be fundamental in delivering infras- General, Andrea Alaimo from the Kore University in Enna,
tructure. Satellite technology kept people connected for Italy, has suitable competence and dynamism that will
remote work and remote health care. Satellite imaging help CEAS as long as he is willing to hold this role. Wel-
made us clearly understand how deeply our daily activi- come on board. The former President, Zdobyslaw Goraj,
ties impact our environment. Space technology allowed deserves the last words because he accepted and ma-
to setup mobile laboratories to support diagnostic acti- naged to organise the CEAS activities in the last years.
vity in remote places. Aerospace industry started manu- I will chase him in the future to keep him engaged, his
facturing medical equipment such as ventilators. experience and competence will be of great help.
n
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 7 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
LIFE OF CEAS AEROSPACE
EUROPE
As most of you already know, my time as CEAS Direc- • Supervision of the CEAS publications: CEAS Aeronauti-
tor General has come to an end. They have been eleven cal Journal, CEAS Space Journal, AEROSPACE EUROPE
years of interesting work and excellent relationships. For Bulletin;
me it has been an opportunity to grow personally and
professionally and I hope to have contributed to what • Management of all Constitution and Statutes legal &
CEAS is today. administrative issues with adequately chosen law firms
whenever needed;
Let me tell you that I keep in my heart all of you and those
who I had the opportunity to meet in the past. • And last but not least Management of the Finances in
Let me introduce my successor, elected last November close support of the VP Finance.
30th, Professor Andrea Alaimo ([email protected])
in copy of this message. All this you always performed with diplomacy, courtesy,
elegance, showing a very high sense of human relations.
I am sorry not to have had the pleasure to meet you in So you are right when writing: “I hope to have contributed
person for the last time. These are now the boundary to what CEAS is today”. We can definitely tell you that yes
conditions but I am sure that we will have other opportu- you played an eminent role in the development of our as-
nities to meet in the future. sociation within which a friendly European spirit prevails.
I wish you a Merry Christmas and a fruitful 2021! Your merit is all the higher since you did all that on a
Please take care and stay healthy”, voluntary basis, in addition to your enormous workload
within the framework of the Military Airbus A400M pro-
Mercedes Oliver Herrero gramme at Airbus Defence and Space in Madrid.
“ Dear Mercedes,
It is not without regret that we see you give up your func-
dark Covid-19 tunnel in 2021!”
tions as Director General of the CEAS. As a matter of fact, The CEAS Management Team
all of us are unanimous to appreciate the remarkable
manner in which you accomplished your duties all over n
these past eleven years from the date when you were
recruited by Joachim Szodruch until today.
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 8 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE LIFE OF CEAS
EUROPE
Born in 1978, prof. Andrea Since 2010 he belongs the University of Enna “Kore”,
Alaimo obtained degrees in at the beginning as Assistant Professor and since 2018
Aerospace Engineering at the as Full Professor in Aerospace Structures. He is Pres-
University of Palermo and the ident of the Aerospace bachelor degree course at the
PhD in Aerospace Structure at “Kore” University and he is Director of the M.A.R.T.A.
the University of Pisa. In 2003 Centre, one of the biggest research facility in Europe
he was visiting student at the for Aviation Human Factor. Andrea Alaimo belongs the
Queen Mary University of Lon- AIDAA, the Italian aerospace association, since 2004
don and, between 2005 and 2009, he held a position as and he is a member of the ICAS Programme Commit-
postdoc research fellow at the University of Palermo. tee since 2018.
Current position: Director Inno- mage tolerance criteria for the fighter 37 Viggen, cer-
vair, the Swedish strategic innova- tification of the new Swedish fighter Gripen, multiple
tion programme for aeronautics, cracking in Finnish Air Force´s F-18, failure analysis of
which runs research and demons- Ariane 5 rocket for Arianespace, etc.
trator programs for both civil and
military aeronautics and involves International experience: Swedish national delegate
all national actors, i.e., large indus- to ICAF (International Committee on Aeronautical
tries (Saab and GKN Aerospace Fatigue and Structural Integrity) 1985 - 2005, general
Sweden), SMEs, universities, insti- secretary of ICAF 2005 - 2017. Previously board mem-
tutes (FOI, RISE), agencies (Armed ber of EREA, IFAR and head of the Swedish Garteur
Forces, Swedish Defence Materiel Administration) and delegation.
governmental bodies, see www.innovair.org. Swedish representative, appointed by Ministry of En-
terprise and Innovation, in ACARE General Assembly
Previous positions: Head of fatigue and fracture, head (Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innova-
of structures and materials, head of aeronautics, and tion in Europe) and national council member of ICAS
research director at FFA and FOI 1980-2020. Adjunct (International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences).
professor at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
from 1987-1996. Awards: F.J. Plantema Award by ICAF in 2001. Thulin
silver medal, for development of fatigue and fracture
Academic background: Ph.D. (1984) and D.Sc. (1985) in mechanics for metallic structures, in 1997, and the Thu-
Lightweight Structures at the Royal Institute of Tech- lin gold medal, for his contributions to Swedish Aero-
nology (KTH) in Stockholm. Member of the Royal Swe- nautics, in 2016. The latter are awarded by the Swedish
dish Academy of Engineering Sciences since 1994. Society for Aeronautics and Astronautics together with
the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences.
Technical work: Over 1000 citations and some 150 He is the recipient of the 2016 US Air Force Lincoln
papers on fatigue and fracture, fibre composites, non- Award for Aircraft Structural Integrity in 2016 and the
linear finite element analysis, structural and materials ICAS 2018 von Karman Award for the International
testing, damage tolerance and durability of aircraft Cooperation performed in ICAF over the years. EREA
structures, etc. He has worked on structural issues for Award for outstanding contributions in 2019.
various civil and military aircraft, introduction of da-
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 9 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
LIFE OF CEAS AEROSPACE
EUROPE
The Aerospace Europe Conference 2021 will be held The key dates:
in Warsaw, 23-26 November 2021. The conference will • 1 Jan 2021 First Announcement and call for papers,
be organized by CEAS together with Polish Society of website open
Aeronautics and Astronautics , Łukasiewicz Research • 1 Feb 2021 Abstract uploading open
Network - Institute of Aviation & Warsaw University of • 1 Apr 2021 Abstract uploading deadline
Technology. Due to the uncertainty related to the CO- • 1 May 2021 Acceptance of papers finished
VID-19 pandemic, two forms of conference are consi- • 30 Jun 2021 Deadline for full length papers submission
dered - traditional (face-to-face) and on-line. Maybe
the hybrid form that will combine classical sessions for The extended abstracts will be collected in the procee-
limited number of participants with on-line connection dings in the form of a CD/USB and distributed during the
will be the best solution. seminar. All full length papers will be sent to reviewers
The main motto for the conference is 3R triptych “Res- and then the best articles will be recommended to pu-
tore, Rethink, Redesign”. It contains the following topics: blish in one of the following journals:
• digitalization
• artificial intelligence • CEAS Aeronautical Journal
• more electrical aircraft The CEAS Aeronautical Journal has been created under
• hybrid propulsion the umbrella of CEAS to provide an appropriate platform
• alternative fuels for excellent scientific publications submitted by scien-
• H2 propulsion tists and engineers. It is supported by the German Aeros-
• design of the future aircraft pace Center (DLR) and the European Space Agency (ESA).
However the conference will also cover the typical topics • CEAS Space Journal
for aerospace conference: The CEAS Space Journal has been created by the CEAS
• General Aviation Space Branch to provide an appropriate platform for the
• Aircraft Design excellent scientific publications submitted by scientists
• Aerodynamics (incl. CFD) and engineers. Under the umbrella of CEAS, the German
• Flight Dynamics Aerospace Center (DLR) and the European Space Agen-
• Helicopter Dynamics cy (ESA) support the Journal.
• Materials and Structures
• Control and Flight Tests • Transactions on AEROSPACE RESEARCH (TAR)
• UAVs The Institute of Aviation has been publishing Transac-
• Green Aviation tions of the Institute of Aviation since 1956 and since 2
• Space (incl. ‘Clean Space’, ’Less debris’ etc.) years renamed into TAR and edited by SCIENDO . It
• Civil Aviation financial and economic aspects publishes new, original articles written by researchers
• Airports collaborating with the Institute, including those from
• Maintenance and Repair Overhaul (MRO) abroad. The scope of the publication is closely related
• Defence and Security to the area of activity of the Institute and the scientific
• SESAR and EUROCONTROL (ATM) challenges conferences organized there. All articles are reviewed
before publishing.
AEC2021 will be held in promises of Łukasiewicz Re-
search Network - Institute of Aviation - one of the largest The other publishing options are also considered and
scientific and research institution in Europe, with over they will be presented in the second announcement.
90 years of experience in aeronautical engineering and The conference fees depend on the final form of the
space research. Institute of Aviation is located very close conference and on the form of participating in the confe-
to the International Frederic Chopin Airport (only 3 km) rence. The fees will be announced as soon as the form of
and just 5 km from the City Center. the conference has been fixed.
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 10 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE LIFE OF CEAS
EUROPE
Some pictures:
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 11 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
LIFE OF CEAS AEROSPACE
EUROPE
FROM TECHNOSAT TO TUBIN: PERFORMANCE UP- SMALL SATELLITE TT&C ALLOCATIONS BELOW 1
GRADE FOR THE TUBIX20 MICROSATELLITE PLATFORM GHZ: OUTCOME OF ITU WRC-19
BASED ON FLIGHT EXPERIENCE Martin von der Ohe
Karsten Gordon, Merlin F. Barschke, Philipp Werner Published: 15 April 2020
Published: 08 January 2020
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 12 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE LIFE OF CEAS
EUROPE
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 13 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
LIFE OF THE ASSOCIATION AEROSPACE
EUROPE
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 14 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE LIFE OF CEAS
EUROPE
REYNOLDS NUMBER AND WIND TUNNEL WALL AN EXTENSION OF THE STRUCTURED SINGULAR
EFFECTS ON THE FLOW FIELD AROUND A GENERIC VALUE TO NONLINEAR SYSTEMS WITH APPLICATION
UHBR ENGINE HIGH-LIFT CONFIGURATIONE TO ROBUST FLUTTER ANALYSIS
Junaid Ullah, Aleš Prachař, Miroslav Šmíd, Avraham Andrea Iannelli, Mark Lowenberg, Andrés Marcos
Seifert, Vitaly Soudakov, Thorsten Lutz & Ewald Published: 09 September 2020
Krämer / Published: 31 August 2020
OPERATION AND OPERATION APPROVAL OF HIGH-AL- DESIGN OF A REAR-STAGE SUBSONIC AXIAL COM-
TITUDE PLATFORMS PRESSOR WITH CASING TREATMENTS
F. NikodemS. Kaltenhäuser C. Kendall-Torry & V. Gümmer
Published: 03 September 2020 Published: 09 September 2020
n
AEROELASTIC BEHAVIOUR OF A WING WITH OVER-
THE-WING MOUNTED UHBR ENGINE
N. Neuert & D. Dinkler
Published: 04 September 2020
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 15 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
PERSONALITY INTERVIEW AEROSPACE
EUROPE
Jean-François Ripoche joi- (X90) and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Techniques
ned the European Defence Avancées in Paris, and holds a PhD in laser Physics.
Agency (EDA) on 1 May 2019 With his engineering background, Jean-François Ri-
as the Research, Technology poche brings to EDA years of experience in Research and
and Innovation (RTI) Director. Technology in the military field. He started his career in
He previously held the posi- 1998 at the DGA and worked across various domains
tion of Research and Techno- such as UAVs, Landsystems, Space and Cybersecurity.
logy Director at the Strategy
Directorate of DGA (Direction Holding the position of Deputy Director for Industrial Af-
Jean-François Ripoche
générale de l'armement), the fairs in charge of the electronics, land systems and na-
French Ministry of Defence Procurement Agency. val systems industries from 2008 to 2012, he developed
Mr Ripoche graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique a sound experience of relations with industry.
Jean-Pierre Sanfourche – RTI promotes and supports with other TBBs, as well as related projects within and
defence research at EU level, based on the OSRA outside the EDA framework. The TBBs (currently around
agenda (Overarching Strategic Research Agenda). 140) refer to a wide range of technology areas, each of
Could you briefly summarize the present strategic them dealt with by a specific CapTech.
objectives fixed by OSRA regarding the military aeros- - There is a CapTech dealing with air systems (CapTech
pace domain? “Air”) and for example CapTechs covering guidance,
Jean-François Ripoche - I will not directly answer your navigation and control or materials. For the CapTech
question because many research actions we are conduc- Air, examples of strategic objectives found in TBBS are
ting in my directorate are concerning cross-cutting tech- concerning
nologies, so that each of them applies to several defence • s ystem level (next generation platforms) for fixed and
systems. For example materials, electronic components, rotary wings
etc., i.e. transversal disciplines. In order to give a clear •m ajor sub-system level (Next generation propulsion
image of what EDA is doing in matter of research techno- systems, for instance)
logy and innovation, I am obliged to first briefly explain the •e ssential cross-cutting (air-platform-focused) capa-
main lines of our approach’s logics. bilities, required for future platforms (for example:
- The Capability Development Plan (CDP) in its 2018 revi- Autonomous systems, including cooperative)
sion defines 11 priorities; This introduction was necessary to make clear that the
- To cover the technology needs related to those eleven R&TI mission of EDA is also conducted in a transversal
priorities, we have structured our R&T task force around technology domains approach and not only in a vertical
several Capability Technology Groups named ‘Cap- final product approach. Now I am in a better position to
Techs’, whose today’s number is 13 (plus one perma- answer your aerospace specific questions.
nent working group). They bring together experts from
governments, industry and academia. These CapTechs J-P. S. – Among the 11 Capability Development Priori-
are being run by my directorate. ties, 4 are more precisely related to aerospace: air mo-
- The OSRA you are mentioning (Overarching Strategic bility - air superiority - Integration of military air capa-
Research Agenda) precisely align the Strategic Research bility in a changing aviation - space based information
Agendas (SRAs) of these various CapTechs. It constitutes and communications services. Could we review these
a tool which provides a harmonized view of relevant Eu- four areas, with the objective to highlight for each of
ropean defence research priorities and all possible paths them the most important research projects and ac-
to achieve them, taking into account the different avai- tions being conducted?
lable funding mechanisms. J-F. R. - The CapTech Air deals with the identification
- Building upon the CapTechs SRAs and CDP priorities, the and prioritisation of technology gaps in different domains
OSRA common defines R&T priorities in the form Tech- such as:
nology Building Blocks (TBBs), each of them being – Heavy air carriers ( outside cargo air transport);
focused on a specific R&T domain. Every TBB informs – Very heavy rotorcraft next generation high performance lift;
on existing technology gap in a given domain, its rele- – Artificial Intelligence for:
vance for CDP, Technology Readiness Level (TRL), links ➢ Development of autonomous systems development
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • Janvier 2021 16 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE PERSONALITY INTERVIEW
EUROPE
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 17 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • Janvier 2021
PERSONALITY INTERVIEW AEROSPACE
EUROPE
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • Janvier 2021 18 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE PERSONALITY INTERVIEW
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Following the mission of the Agency, “to support the Josep Borell is a Head of EDA and High Representative
Member States and the Council in their effort to improve of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security
European defence capabilities […]”. Cooperation with Policy/Vice-President of the Commission.
the Member States is very close; be it on the top-level
through the Steering Board which sets EDA’s priorities or JIRI SEDIVY: CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF EDA
at the working level in expert teams. Indeed, EDA cur-
rently connects around 4,000 national based-experts in
cooperative defence projects.
EDA GOVERNANCE
EDA MANAGEMENT
• Jiri Sedivy: EDA Chief Executive
• Olli Ruutu: Deputy Chief Executive
The European Defence Agency (EDA) is an intergovern- • Emilio Fajardo: Director Industry, Synergies & Enablers
mental agency of the Council of the European Union. It •M artin Konertz: Director Capability Armament & Planning
receives guidance by the defence ministers of its Mem- • Jean-François Ripoche, Director Research, Technology
ber States (currently 26), meeting in the EDA Steering & Innovation
Board. • Luigi Sandrin, Director Corporate Services
ORGANISATION
n
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 19 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
POINT OF VIEW AEROSPACE
EUROPE
Recently, however, the topic has become a political issue The biofuels presently envisaged can be criticised from
due to a growing awareness on the part of the European the point of view of their total life cycle, overall effect
population, particularly young people. Often excessive on the planet, competition with other crops, etc. This a
and out of proportion, this approach sees air transport well-known debate and a great deal of work remains to
as a figurehead of blind and boundless growth, an arro- be done, under often contradictory constraints. Organic
gant symbol of globalisation, even an allegory of social waste may have its virtues, but it is difficult to imagine it
inequalities... fuelling a significant part of the global air transport fleet.
Without deferring to such exaggerations, the air trans-
port sector must nonetheless find ways of reducing its “Drop-in” synthetic fuels, i.e. possessing very similar pro-
"carbon" footprint very significantly in the coming de- perties to current kerosene, may constitute an interes-
cades, especially since prospective analyses anticipate ting solution – despite requiring a high level of electrical
a tripling of traffic by 2050 (or rather “used to anticipate”, energy for their production. However, it is not these that
because the COVID crisis has moved the goalposts, but are currently attracting support, but rather hydrogen.
that is another subject, too crucial and still too uncertain Hydrogen is also a synthetic fuel, but not a “drop-in”, to
to be dealt with in a few lines here.) say the least, requiring radically different aircraft and
operations. So why hydrogen? To make it simple, it offers
The problem is that the means to achieve this drastic re- two main advantages:
duction in the carbon footprint of aviation are few and far • on the one hand, the possibility - at least theoretical - of
between, if some common-sense rules are borne in mind: a totally decarbonated propellant;
• f ocus on what is really relevant and not on attractive • on the other hand, a very high energy density, three
pipe-dreams; times that of kerosene (120 MJ/kg vs 43 MJ/kg).
•c onsider all needs by a given date instead of thinking in So much for the advantages. It can be feared however
closed circuit for a particular sector; that all other characteristics of hydrogen will be classi-
• f or such planetary issues (air transport and the green- fied among the disadvantages, or at least the difficulties.
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 20 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE POINT OF VIEW
EUROPE
However, let us not get ahead of ourselves. urgent that an overall, coherent and, by its very nature,
A POLITICAL CRAZE inexpensive study, if not already available, demonstrate
A small diversion is necessary by way of recent enthu- the viability of the concept. Since we live in a rational
siastic political declarations which have given hydrogen a world, this analysis will undoubtedly be available before
third trump card (although a dangerous one because by committing the hundreds of millions of euros covering
nature ephemeral): media hype. high Technical Readiness Level (TRL) technology plans,
logically including flight demonstrations.
This relates first to hydrogen in general, as:
• a storage means for intermittent energy produced by So, for the time being, let us limit ourselves to formula-
wind and solar sources; ting a few open questions.
• an electrical power supply of fuel-cells for road and rail
transport; There do in fact exist several studies from the past.
• an energy vector for industry, for example steel works. Among them is the “Cryoplane”, a research action fun-
ded by the EU in its 5th Framework Programme in 2003
Germany, for example, has launched a €9bn plan into and carried out by Airbus together with several other
this subject. France has followed suit with €7bn, and the participants. The final report is optimistic (not unusual
EU itself is not far behind. Of course, the first question in such cases) but, maybe due to financial limitations,
that arises – leaving aside uses for energy storage, natu- most key topics are not dealt with in sufficient depth to
rally, which do not really constitute a form of "production” demonstrate convincingly the feasibility of the overall
– is that of “green” hydrogen generation, bearing in mind concept. There was also a Russian demonstrator, which
that at present 96% of this gas comes from hydrocar- flew in the 80’s. Indeed, the hydrogen aircraft concept is
bons, with the remaining 4% being generated from H2O far from being a new one: the first studies on the subject
electrolysis, with an electricity supply which is only very date back to 1930! They were followed by many others,
partially decarbonated worldwide. The European Com- subsequently shelved.
mission has opened a door to so-called “blue hydrogen”
(i.e. a little less green than green), still made from hydro- LIQUID HYDROGEN PRODUCTION
carbons but with carbon dioxide capture, a still uncertain AND TRANSPORT
process. The hydrogen aircraft concepts use liquid hydrogen LH2.
Pressurized hydrogen – usually at 700 b – is not consi-
Was it inevitable then that aviation would also be affected dered because it seems to lead to an unacceptable
by this craze? No doubt. It all happened rather suddenly structural weight. However, LH2 is rarely used in industry:
(in late 2017, for example, the Hydrogen Council – an its main use so far is in space launchers, due to the ex-
international lobbying group - did not even mention the cellent specific impulse provided by cryogenic H2/O2.
propulsive applications of hydrogen in its list of possible
applications and considered the utilisation of fuel cells But before considering the question of the aircraft itself,
for aviation to be unlikely). In France, government aid one must first find out how to produce sufficient quan-
to the aeronautical sector in June 2020 was accompa- tities of “green hydrogen”. It is not a question of flying a
nied by the “requirement” to develop a hydrogen powe- few aircraft here or there, but of converting as much of
red aircraft by 2035. Airbus publicly committed to this the worldwide air fleet as possible. Otherwise this concept
goal. Until recently, it had been a question of 2050, but would remain anecdotal – a waste of time and money.
France intends to be the leading nation on this subject. LH2 has an efficiency ratio of about 30%, i.e. 3 kWh of
How France could today successfully bring a hydrogen- (green) electricity is required to produce 1kWh of energy
powered aircraft and its infrastructure into service on its stored in LH2. Now the global air fleet consumed 288
own, if not for confidential uses, is unclear… But fortuna- million tonnes of kerosene in 2018. Let us forget, for the
tely, the EU is also promoting this same solution, notably time being, the tripling of global traffic forecast by 2050
in its SRIA Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda and keep to this figure. 288 MT of kerosene transposed
recently proposed by industry for the future Clean Avia- into LH2 leads to a requirement of around 10,000 TWh,
tion private public partnership. The latter is supported i.e. 40% of current world electricity production. In other
by an analysis carried out by McKinsey, which considers terms, a little more than the entire decarbonized part of
hydrogen propulsion to be the best solution (around this production, nuclear included.
2040 for short-haul flights and in the longer term for me-
dium- and long-haul flights). This report, based upon a Besides, this reasoning demonstrates the fragmented
number of interviews with players in the hydrogen and vision we criticised above. What actually counts is not
aviation sectors, certainly highlights a number of impor- the hydrogen that will be necessary for aviation alone,
tant questions for in-depth study, but does not describe but the total quantity necessary for all uses. The same
at this stage a global preliminary project for a hydrogen applies even more to decarbonated electricity. Such fi-
aircraft with its associated infrastructures. It is though gures shed a rather worrying light on the German, French
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 21 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
POINT OF VIEW AEROSPACE
EUROPE
and EU hydrogen plans. heights. Sooner or later, decision-makers and the media
Of course, we must be optimistic and move forward wit- will realize that liquid hydrogen and safety are not an
hout having ironed out all the kinks, but wouldn’t it at least easy match.
be useful to have some prospective answers to these ba- LH2 has a very low density = 70 kg/m3, which presents
sic questions before committing considerable R&D fun- a disadvantage in terms of tank size (we will come back
ding to road transport, steel works, aviation and others? to this later) and also, due to the small size of the mole-
Let us assume for present purposes that it is possible, cule, with regard to the high risk of leakage, a pervasive
that a bright future is reserved for photovoltaics (why concern in space launching activities. The risk of leaks
not?), or for the use of so-called “blue hydrogen”, i.e. ge- and of an explosion in confined spaces will naturally re-
nerated from methane with CO2 capture. quire a multitude of safety measures to be set in place:
sealing levels (cryogenic!) for all junctions, out of all pro-
Next, this hydrogen has to be transported. By tanker portion with existing systems; multiple redundancies;
trunk as a first step, possibly. But let us skip this “pionee- frequent verification procedures; numerous detection
ring” first step because what interests us is large-scale, sensors: flushing systems for certain enclosures; etc.
global viability. So, by pipeline to the major airports?
Circulating liquid hydrogen through these pipelines evi- Let us note that the Ariane launching zone in the Euro-
dently raises prohibitive thermal problems, over long pean Space Port in Kourou is cleared before the “cool-
distances. How about transporting gaseous hydrogen down” of the ground supply lines. This will not only
then and equipping airports with (huge) liquefaction faci- concern aircraft, but also airports. Then, however effi-
lities? There is yet another variant that would involve de- cient the thermal insulation, hydrogen evaporates conti-
legating to the airports not only the liquefaction, but also nuously, there is no way around this. For a space launcher
the electrolysis itself. To this of course must be added that stays in the launching zone only a few hours, with
storage – at 20K. Before setting all of this in place, air- cryogenic fillings at the last moment, and has a flight of
port authorities would, of course, need to be convinced about half an hour, this is manageable. For an aircraft, in
of the commercial superiority and promising future of the current state of play, this is more difficult to imagine.
the whole concept. Only state investment, on a massive These safety-related points are key issues.
scale, would be capable of breaking this vicious circle.
This aspect once again highlights the fact that national UNPARALLELLED TECHNICAL AND
or European investment in hydrogen makes sense only if OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES
it is capable of generating active support internationally, For an A320 equivalent with a capacity of 23 tonnes of
even beyond Europe. kerosene, the same energy requires only 9 tonnes of
LH2. But these 9 tonnes, due to the low density of LH2,
As indicated above, the main industrial application of will require around 150 m3 of tank (including the neces-
LH2 is focused on space launchers, which is good news sary “dead” volume), i.e. over four times higher than for
for Europe which, with the Ariane family, has a great kerosene. This storage cannot be envisaged in the wings;
deal of experience with this propellant. However, it is a logical place would therefore be to store it at the rear
extremely difficult to transpose from a space launcher of the fuselage, but this will lead to a considerable leng-
to a commercial airliner. Many aspects, including safety thening of the latter, inducing increased drag and some
(one major incident per million flight hours), aircraft life- balance issues. What extra weight will result? This will
time (60,000 to 100,000 hours), liquid hydrogen storage depend, among other things, on the insulating materials.
time (24/24 – 7/7), as well as environment, infrastruc- Ariane-type thermal protection (cellular polyurethane)
tures, architecture, operational coverage, logistics, etc. would lead to unacceptable thicknesses. Contrary to
are clearly quite different for air transport than for space space launchers, tanks must be partially filled at all times,
launchers. For all items, LH2 utilisation for aviation would with low evaporation rates. It would seem more logical to
be more challenging than for space launchers. At least move towards a vacuum multilayer insulation … but with
the experience of LH2 use for space launchers enables much larger dimensions than existing lightweight space
us to anticipate the main stumbling blocks. devices using this technology. Is this economically fea-
sible? In terms of weight ratios, it is not relevant to try to
Clearly, it is a totally new aircraft concept that would be transpose these space vehicle solutions to the scale of
needed, even for short-medium range only, to begin with. the aircraft, given all the differences.
HOW TO ENSURE SAFETY? Some attempts were made to design a liquid H2 tank for
Safety on board and on the ground is a central theme. cars, for fuel cells or even internal combustion engines
Looking beyond the necessary objective respect for dif- (by BMW), but were then abandoned. In this area again,
ferent certification obligations, to be defined, we are li- there is no point transposing from the automobile to
ving in an era where subjective "risk aversion" on the part aviation on the back of an envelope, due to the huge dif-
of the public and politicians is reaching unprecedented ferences in scale and operational conditions.
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 22 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE POINT OF VIEW
EUROPE
Anyway, just to be clear, we might well be looking at an hydrogen with the carbon dioxide CO2 contained in the
aircraft tank/hydrogen weight ratio of between 5 and 10 air, (or with industrial trapped CO2, thus killing two birds
(let’s remind that the weight of hydrogen for an A320 equi- with one stone!).
valent would be 9 tonnes and that the current maximum This results in a neutral carbon-balance. By definition,
take-off weight is 79 tonnes). The ensuing snowball effect the additional stage leads to an even higher fuel cost,
would lead to a complete resizing. Major progress must but once this purely industrial process has been perfor-
therefore be made as regards tank weight. How? med, the rest would be mostly unchanged (transport,
The swing of LH2 provoked by the attitude changes storage… and airplane design). Admittedly, such a drop-in
creates centring difficulties as well as additional evapo- fuel would necessitate more investments in the energy
ration. These attitude changes are much higher (around industrial sector than in aeronautical R&D, but nobody
50°) for an aircraft than the modest nozzle swivelling of a would think of building an argument in favour of one or
space launcher. Anti-swings will be necessary, contribu- other solution out of this difference in the direction of fu-
ting - if it works - to a further weight mass increase. ture public funding. Many other excellent avenues would
still require hard work in aircraft technology.
The engine bleed air supply requires a high pressure –
up to approximately 100 b – in gaseous form this time. Finally, some alternative, “simili-hydrogen” solutions are
Cryogenic pumps will be necessary (with variable flow mentioned in the scientific literature, such as ammonia
rate within a wide range) as well as heat exchangers. A or metallic hybrids, without having yet demonstrated
series of cryogenic equipment and lines will be exposed their viability.
to the risk of icing. How can this be avoided given the
diversity of conditions and duration of aircraft utilisation? A BENEFICIAL BUT STILL UNCERTAIN IMPACT
Once ready, the aircraft has to be fuelled from ground ON CLIMATE
storage. But a liquid hydrogen tank cannot be filled like The benefits of hydrogen (or of synfuels or biofuels) re-
a kerosene tank. A long sequence of actions is neces- main to be clarified in terms of the greenhouse effect. It
sary: cleansing the lines, cool-down, and then the fuel- is increasingly stressed that the impact of air transport is
ling itself which must conducted slowly enough to avoid not limited to CO2 emissions; according to some studies,
too much boiling, all this performed far from the passen- contrails and the altitude clouds (cirrus clouds) they in-
gers naturally. At the very least this sequence will take duce produce a greenhouse effect roughly equivalent to
a couple of hours for a mid-range airliner. This is not CO2. But these are very complex phenomena for which
easily compatible with the daily utilisation rates of pre- little data is currently available. In addition, nitrogen
sent fleets! (Will these rates continue in the future? That oxides NOX have a complex impact, on the one hand
is another subject). generating ozone O3 (increased greenhouse effect) and
One could also mention the risk of hydrogen embrittle- on the other hand reducing the presence of methane
ment of certain materials, incompatibility with the elas- CH4 (weakened greenhouse effect), so that the resulting
tomers etc., which will impose choices of different mate- effect is still uncertain. In any case, hydrogen should ge-
rials from those of today with possible cost increases. nerate more water vapour, but no particles contributing
to contrails aggregation, therefore in fine, an inconclusive
On the engine side, on the contrary, while hydrogen relative effect, and less nitrogen oxides, thanks to rapid
combustion requires (or rather allows) a re-sizing of the combustion. All in all, models predict an average reduc-
chamber (shorter) and other changes, it would not seem tion in the greenhouse effect of 50 to 70%, provided, of
to create insurmountable problems. course, that the hydrogen is 100% “green”.
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 23 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
CIVIL AVIATION OPERATIONS AEROSPACE
EUROPE
Elodie Viau joined ESA as Director Iris will provide Data Link ATS services in the European
of Telecommunications and Inte- continental airspace including Aeronautical Telecom-
grated Applications from 1 Sep- munications Network (ATN) B1 and ATS B2, as well as
tember 2020. For 12 years prior to ACARS for Airline Operational Communications (AOC).
this, Ms Viau worked for SES, one Iris technology is based on important milestones of tech-
of the world’s leading satellite nical validation achieved within the SESAR1 programme,
owners and operators, based in where Iris is solution #109 of the SESAR catalogue.
Betzdorf, Luxembourg. As Vice-
President for Technology Program Currently, ten major European Air Navigation Service
Management, she led the SES- Providers (ANSPs) are already part of the Iris consortium,
17 infrastructure design and implementation enabling defining the entry into Iris services following the last vali-
new integrated services such as aviation connectivity. dation step. Iris is indeed getting ready for the execution
Prior to this role, in SES’s field office in Toulouse, France, of a large-scale validation using certified avionics flying
she acted as Program Manager of three and as Program on revenue flights from commercial airlines (the so-cal-
Manager deputy of six Airbus satellite programmes led “Iris Early-implementation” in 2022-2023). The obser-
from the contract negotiation up to the satellite launch ved performances will be analysed with the support of
activities. Furthermore, she led innovation projects with several European ANSPs and in preparation of the Iris
satellite vendors and key launcher players. She has also Service provider, in cooperation with EUROCONTROL/
worked for Arianespace. A French national, she gained Network Manager and EASA, while airlines will exploit
her Master’s degree in telecommunications from Télé- Iris commercial and operational benefits.
com SudParis in 2007 and holds further qualifications
from the International Space University and the Open “Iris early implementation” will pave the way to the full
University in the UK. deployment of Iris system whose roadmap is being defi-
ned with major European stakeholders as part of the
Iris is one of the projects under the direction of Elodie European ATM infrastructure.
Viau.
Iris helps to fulfil the objectives of European ATM Master
Iris is a Data Link Service (DLS) and secure voice chan- Plan, which calls for a more efficient use of airspace by
nels system funded and promoted by the European implementing novel ATM approaches such as i4D (in a
Space Agency (ESA). It is based on Inmarsat SwiftBroa- Trajectory-based operational context). The use of such
dband-Safety (SB-S) mobile satellite technology that new techniques can deliver a greener approach to air tra-
is already approved for Air Traffic Service (ATS) oceanic vel by reducing unnecessary trajectories and associated
use. Iris extends SB-S oceanic/remote service to busy fuel consumption along with flight delay reduction with
continental areas, starting with Europe, and is scalable economic advantages for passengers and, last but not
for global coverage. least, provision of better services to airlines experiencing
increasing needs for efficient flight operations and pre-
In 2008, ESA kicked off the Iris programme with a world- ventive maintenance. Together, these operational bene-
class industrial consortium led by Inmarsat, targeting a fits could yield savings for the global airline industry of
full integration of Iris into the overall European Air Traffic US$5.5-7.5 billion annually based on existing connected
Management (ATM) Network. In 2012, after a four-year aircraft numbers, rising to US$11.1-14.9 billion by 2035. A
research phase involving major European space com- 0.75–1.00% reduction in the IATA consolidated US$764
panies, ESA started the development and validation/de- billion annual global airline cost of operation.
monstration phase of a first generation service “precur-
sor” based on the SwiftBroadband-Safety (SB-S) service The high level architecture of the Iris system, omitting
of Inmarsat and relying on the L-band satellite infrastruc- redundancy, is shown in Figure 1. It consists of two main
ture of this satellite operator. new components: Iris Ground Segment and Iris Aero
Segment.
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 24 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE CIVIL AVIATION OPERATIONS
EUROPE
The main Iris ground segment components are integra- Iris provides a readily deployable system to support the
ted in the Aero Rack: terrestrial technology system known as VDL2, which is
• The AeGGW (Aero Ground Gateway) is the physical mandated by the European Commission (EC). VDL2 has
entity handling ATN/ACARS traffic to and from an AES., demonstrated limitations in meeting DLS performances,
including ATN/OSI router software function which impacts the operational European ATM network
• The GSGW (Ground Security Gateway) terminates the and fulfilment of the EC European Aviation Strategy (De-
IPSec secure VPN tunnel established by the Aircraft cember 2005).
Earth Station (AES). Iris was designed to provide enough capacity for short-
• The GDGW (Ground Datalink Gateway) supports combi- term needs with scalability potential for future demands.
ned delivery of ATN and ACARS traffic via the satellite link. A recent capacity study, performed by the Iris consor-
tium in line with SESAR Deployment Manager traffic
The main Iris Aero Segment components are imple- growth assumptions, confirms that Iris has the required
mented within the Satellite Data Unit (SDU) on the Air- capacity to support both the volume of data expected to
craft Earth Station (AES) SATCOM terminal: be offloaded from VDL2 and the increase in traffic in the
• The ASGW (Aircraft Security Gateway) is responsible coming years.
for establishing the Secure VPN tunnel between the COVID-19 is having far-reaching consequences on the
aircraft and its GSGW, for the provision of an IPSec VPN global economy, which includes the impact on the avia-
for secure air-ground data link communication. tion sector driven by a severe collapse in passenger traf-
fic. Even at this time, the integration of all suitable and
• The ADGW (Aircraft Datalink Gateway) is a functional available technologies into a DLS architecture will provide
block within the AES that is responsible for encapsu- the opportunity for Europe to achieve the digital transfor-
lating ATN/ACARS messages in an IP wrapper to allow mation and Green Deal being pursued by the EC. The
them to be sent to the ground. The ADGW also de- present crisis could even spark a digital transformation
encapsulates received ATN/ACARS IP messages for for industry in order to quickly increase efficiency and cut
transmission to the aircraft Communication Manage- costs. At the same time, this transformation would help
ment Unit. prepare for a future in which performance, safety and
capacity requirements will be more demanding.
• The CMU (Communication Management Unit) manages
aircraft communication across multiple sub-networks Iris is recognised by all major ATM stakeholders as the
such as Terrestrial, HF, VHF radio and satellite-based only ready-technology that can immediately deliver the
communications, selecting which subnetwork to use required ATS performances for complementing VDL M2
based on availability and local routing policy. and, at the same time, provide far greater data link capa-
city and availability. Another SATCOM based technology
Once the required specifications become available, it is which could also deliver similar services is IRDIUM whose
expected that it will be easy to customize the Iris ground development roadmap is ongoing, but it is not yet clear
network to interconnect it to the future CEAB. if the technology is at the same level of readiness as Iris.
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 25 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
CIVIL AVIATION OPERATIONS AEROSPACE
EUROPE
In order for Iris to have an effective impact on VDL-M2 Iris’ technology is based on important milestones of tech-
off-load, a sufficient number of airspace users must be nical validation achieved within the SESAR1 programme,
equipped with it soon. An appropriate number of ANSPs where Iris is solution #109 of the SESAR catalogue. Iris is
are also required to provide the service. A suitable de- now getting ready for the execution of a large-scale vali-
ployment plan should be implemented as soon as dation using certified avionics flying on revenue flights
possible, so that an operational Iris service is ready and from commercial airlines (the so-called “Iris early-imple-
available as passenger traffic begins to increase again. mentation” in 2022-2023). The observed performances
ESA is actively engaging with European Stakeholders will be analysed with the support of several European
to facilitate the implementation of such a deployment ANSPs in cooperation with EUROCONTROL/Network
plan. In order to facilitate Iris uptake in support of Euro- Manager and EASA, while airlines exploit the commercial
pean aviation, it would be useful for a proper regulatory and operational benefits conferred by Iris.
package, including appropriate funding schemes and
incentives for airlines and ANSPs, to be implemented as “Iris early-implementation” will pave the way to the full
soon as possible. This would support a ready Iris service deployment of the Iris system whose roadmap is being
timely with passenger traffic re-growing expectations defined with major European stakeholders as part of the
after COVID-19. European ATM infrastructure.
In summary, Iris is a readily available solution enabling Iris is therefore helping to maintain the leading position
the EC’s aviation strategy. It is based on the following of Europe in this process in a united European front, and
main pillars: will give European industry a competitive advantage
compared to other global players, whilst also contribu-
• Compliance with ATS safety and performance require- ting greatly to common global aviation goals.
ments for ATN B1 and ATS B2,respectively. This includes
ADS-C applications (EPP) which are key enablers for i4D ACRONYMS List
that can deliver route optimizations and reduced fuel
consumption due to fewer holding patterns resulting in ACARS Aircraft Communications Addressing
less CO2 emissions per flight and Reporting System
• Resilience to malicious attacks, due to end-to-end ADS-C EPP Automatic Dependent Surveillance –
secure and redundant mechanisms, including security Contract Extended Projected Profile
mechanisms to ensure authenticity and integrity of ATS AES Aircraft Earth Station
data link exchanges within the SATCOM environment. ANSP Air Navigation Service Provider
• High capacity, guaranteeing the required performances AOC Airline Operational Communications
for ATS safety services whilst also supporting the data- ATM Air Traffic Management
hungry AOC services needed for airline operations ATN Aeronautical Telecommunications
• High network availability and stringent low service Network
outage. In order to meet these demanding operatio- ATS Air Traffic Services
nal requirements, a comprehensive redundant system CEAB Common European ATM Backbone
solution has been conceived, with no single points of DLS Data Link Services
failure and the ability to detect and switch over quickly EASA European Aviation Safety Agency
to standby equipment in the event of failures i-4D Initial 4D or Initial Trajectory Based
• Immediate European coverage and scalability potential Operations
for a global worldwide component of air-ground ATM IATA International Air Transport Association
communications SB-S Swift Broadband-Safety
• Future proofing, as upgrades to the current system can SESAR Single European Sky ATM Research
be gradually implemented to fulfil future requirements VDL2 VHF Digital Link Mode 2
for improved performance in compliance with upco-
ming ATN-IPS standards. Please visit IRIS website: https://artes.esa.int/iris
• Ready to interconnect to the Common European ATM
Backbone (CEAB)infrastructure. ESA Video links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aSF_WDRBPI
The results achieved so far draw on the involvement of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iai289B_maM
leading European institutional stakeholders (EC, SESAR
Joint Undertaking, SESAR Deployment Manager, EASA INMARSAT Video Link:
and EUROCONTROL). ESA is committed to continue this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCjVgMVbzbI&feat
cooperation with European institutions in support of the ure=youtu.be
Single European Skies policy set by the EC.
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 26 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE CIVIL AVIATION OPERATIONS
EUROPE
ESA credit
n
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 27 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
AERONAUTICS TECHNOLOGY AEROSPACE
EUROPE
AMBITIONS FOR THE NG AIRLINERS PROPULSION Finally, the fourth dimension entails exploring fuel alter-
For decades, aircraft manufacturers and engine manu- natives. Under that dimension, fuel types may go from
facturers have been improving their products through conventional, kerosene fuel to unconventional, non
steady research and development efforts. Air transporta- drop-in fuels.
tion is therefore increasingly safer, increasingly more fuel Now we have set the cursors for the propulsion of the
efficient, while being cleaner and cheaper per passen- current generation airliners, we need to determine
ger-kilometre. For the next generation airliners propul- where to stand for the propulsion of the next generation
sion, the research and innovation efforts are focused airliners. The last four dimensions are described in the
on the reduction of carbon dioxides emissions. It leads coming sections.
Safran engine advanced design teams not only to value
emerging materials, methods and shapes for incremen-
tal progress on engine components, but also to consi-
der new engine architectures and new fuel types. It’s the
overall life-cycle of engines and fuels that are also being
reconsidered. Research and innovation aim at igniting
the launch of the development of the safest, the most
environment friendly and still affordable propulsion sys-
tem for the next generation airliners.
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 28 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE AERONAUTICS TECHNOLOGY
EUROPE
ELECTRIFICATION CONCEPTS
Electrification could also contribute to reducing energy
Figure 4 - Source: © Airbus consumption, pollutants emissions and greenhouse
gases emissions, at least locally. The aircraft propulsion
There are still opportunities for making easy to install, could be electrified for instance by replacing, or com-
ducted engines more fuel efficient: research and innova- plementing, fuel tanks with electrical accumulators, by
tion effort is ongoing to make them even more reliable, replacing, or complementing, gas turbines with electrical
less noisy and more efficient. motors, by replacing mechanical power transmission with
The aircraft fuselage boundary layer could be partly electrical power transmission, by replacing mechanical
ingested by engines that would be partly or fully em- gearboxes with electrical gearboxes and/or by inserting
bedded within the aircraft fuselage. Thus the aircraft electrical actuators. The rail transportation has been lar-
drag would be reduced on one hand and compensated gely electrified for a long time (and without batteries!).
on the other hand, by the engines. No such aircraft exists The road transportation is under electrification. We can
yet. Various boundary layer ingesting propulsion sys- observe that worldwide, huge research and innovation
tems are considered, including for instance: efforts are dedicated to electrical systems. Some low
- twin turbofan engines installed in the rear section of the speed, short range and low capacity air vehicles are even
aircraft fuselage, being demonstrated or being put into service:
- two turbofan engines as installed under the wings and One may believe that lighter, more compact and com-
powering a fan installed in the rear section of the air- patible with air transportation electrical technologies
craft fuselage through an electrical power transmission
for instance:
Such propulsion system concepts are under exploration.
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 29 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
AERONAUTICS TECHNOLOGY AEROSPACE
EUROPE
Figure 9 - Airbus - into the fleet would be slower but the positive impact on
Electric flight - Laying the environment may end up greater. Indeed, with this
the groundwork for last solution, pollutants as Non Volatile Particle Matters
zero-emission aviation". (NVPM) emissions could be reduced, improving air qua-
© Airbus
lity and reducing the harmfulness of contrails. Moreover,
other solutions exist in burning methane, as the shortest
hydrocarbon chain could lead to carbon dioxide emis-
will emerge enabling electrical propulsion for larger air- sions reduction with respect to burning kerosene. In that
craft. In between, aviation may be inspired by the elec- case, cryogenic solutions would be required.
trical hybridization of cars’ powertrains. However, the
typical airliner mission does not provide opportunities for Cryogenic solutions will also be required for the hy-
energy recovery, as most of car activities do. Therefore, drogen to fuel airliners. Indeed, the hydrogen density
the benefits of the electrical hybridization of an airliner is so low under usual conditions that compression or
powertrain will be more limited. Even the benefits of the liquefaction is required before storage on board. Be-
distributed propulsion, where there would be numerous sides, high pressure tanks are much heavier than low
fans/propellers driven by electric motors supplied by temperature tanks: technological solutions under use
gas turbines driving electrical generators and auxiliary for cars can thus not be reused for large aircraft. When
electrical accumulators, are not yet proven: additional reacting with the air in fuel cell or in gas turbine com-
drag, complexity and masses of thrust and power ge- bustor, hydrogen delivers power and does not produce
neration and distribution systems are limiting factors. It any carbon dioxide during flights. This way, substituting
should then require a lot of efforts spent on electrical kerosene with hydrogen in flight, and generally substi-
technologies and how to integrate/connect them into/ tuting kerosene fuelled aircraft with hydrogen fuelled
with gas turbines to make a hybridized electrical power aircraft, may directly and progressively reduce carbon
train down-selected for the next generation airliner. dioxide emission by aviation. Safran has engaged a ma-
jor research and innovation effort to face numerous envi-
FUEL TYPES ronmental and technological challenges. Firstly, burning
Complementarily with disruptive technological solutions, hydrogen instead of kerosene will not produce soot but
introducing new fuels are necessary to meet the requi- will eject more water and may generate more contrails
rements of air transportation decarbonisation. Indeed, that may be less harmful each. Modelling, in flight cha-
on one hand, we know that batteries are not applicable racterization and models calibration need to be created
to airliners for the predictable future, and on the other to provide us with more insights on these phenomenon.
hand, we cannot assume that capturing and sequestra- Secondly, burning hydrogen instead of kerosene will still
ting the carbon that will still be emitted burning kerosene produce nitrogen oxides which is why specific combus-
would be the full solution. tion technologies have yet be explored and matured.
Therefore, synthetic hydrocarbons and synthetic hy- Thirdly, it is relevant to consider dual fuel gas turbine as
drogen are the main fuel types candidates considered able to burn simultaneously, sequentially or alternately
for the title of “Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)”. Each sustainable hydrogen and sustainable hydrocarbons:
of them can be synthesized through chemical or bio- single fuel and dual fuel, combustion technologies will
chemical processes. Those processes are more or less be explored too. Fourthly, fuel cells are already being
environmentally–friendly. They require primary energy, considered for non-propulsive power generation and for
ground space. They are more or less mature and costly. A small aircraft propulsion. When their power capabilities,
full lifecycle analysis is then required to properly assess densities and operating temperatures are high enough,
their environmental benefits, the feasibility and the affor- fuel cells and e-propellers may become an alternative
dability of their use for aviation. to replace large gas turbine, then offering a zero NOx
Depending on their synthesis processes and on their emission solution. Fuel cell technologies and integration
physical and chemical properties, synthetic hydrocar- technologies are under exploration and maturation by
bons would either behave as kerosene or would behave Safran and other manufacturers. Fifthly, hydrogen pres-
differently. Should they behave as kerosene, they would sure and temperature at tanks outlets shall be increased
be fully “drop-in fuels”: no specific propulsion technolo- before the hydrogen being reacted with the air: hydrogen
gies would be required and rapid insertion into the fleet conditioning and distribution technologies, together with
would be possible, making an evenly rapid impact on safety management technologies, are also under explo-
environment. Should they behave similarly to kerosene, ration and maturation. On a side note, let us remember
blending with kerosene may be enough not to change that sustainable/renewable hydrogen, as sustainable/
propulsion technologies: some biofuels are already renewable hydrocarbons, may be more expensive than
under use if blended with kerosene up to 50%. Howe- kerosene. That is why the propulsion frugality remains a
ver, should they not behave as kerosene, specific pro- key item for the future airliner.
pulsion technologies would be required. The insertion n
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 30 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE AERONAUTICS TECHNOLOGY
EUROPE
A team of aerospace engineers experts in Reliabi- For two years, the development team has worked on
lity, Availability, Maintainability and Safety analyses building a web application that is modern, flexible and
release a software suite that will enhance the effi- suited to the daily work of OEMs and integrators which
ciency of the aerospace industry in certification pro- need to obtain Type Certificate or prove the safety of
cesses for airborne systems. their product to suppliers and quality boards. The lead
developer, David Duran explains: “We started building
Barcelona, Spain | October 20, 2020 the platform we would have wanted, with the user expe-
DMD Solutions announces the release of its flag software rience of the engineer always in our minds: clean inter-
tool: Robin RAMS. Robin provides assistance in naviga- faces, precise documentation and fast calculation times.
ting airworthiness standards and five calculation mo- While implementing FRACAS for our customers, we
dules for the most challenging analyses in the field: Fault saw how traditional databases failed to provide the soli-
Tree Analysis (FTA), Failure Reporting and Corrective Ac- dity and team integration needed to manage fleets. For
tions System (FRACAS), Reliability Prediction, Maintaina- Fault Tree Analysis we have developed a calculation
bility (MSG-3 & Zonal Analysis) and FMECA. With the aid algorithm that allows both Minimal Cut Sets and Direct
of Robin, companies that build, operate or maintain air- Evaluation methods with faster results than any other in
borne systems will be able to track malfunction data and the market. I think aerospace engineers will welcome
extract reliability insights, calculate probability of failure Robin with enthusiasm, it’s a big improvement from the
and analyse failure effects, and plan maintenance tasks catch-all platforms that we’ve had until today.”
to optimise operations. Several customers are already enjoying the benefits of
The reliability, availability, maintainability and safety of ae- Robin RAMS. They have highlighted the flexibility of the
rospace systems have always been of paramount impor- tool and its adequacy to cater for aerospace needs. The
tance to the sector and yet, until now, all software tools ai- engineering team at the aircraft manufacturer Daher So-
med at supporting RAMS engineering analyses have been cata have been the beta-testers of the platform, providing
catch-all products for industries as diverse as energy, che- invaluable live environment feedback to the development
mical, health & pharmaceutical and then also aerospace. team. Other companies such us UMS Skeldar, drone buil-
At DMD Solutions, an engineering company located in der in the defence sector, Civitanavi Systems, providing
Barcelona and Luzern, this state of affairs seemed unac- Global Navigation Satellite Systems to a European space
ceptable. For a team of aerospace engineers fully dedi- launcher program or FIMAC, supplier of Environmental
cated to providing RAMS studies for aerospace systems Control Systems for both rotorcraft and business aviation
manufacturers it was clear that a tool focused on their aircraft, are among the satisfied early users.
needs was necessary. The requirements for certification As Robin deploys in the market, the DMD solutions’ team
in the aerospace industry are very demanding and en- continues the endeavour to improve the platform and
gineers aiming at proving the solidity of their system’s make it the reference in the sector. Additional libraries
design need highly specialised support. and standards are being developed for the Reliability
This is how Robin RAMS was born. Dario Di Martino, CEO Predictions module in partnership with Quanterion. With
and founder of DMD Solutions explains: “After 10 years the inclusion of new users to the Robin community, DMD
working in the field I had tried every available software, Solutions expects to increase its worth for the aerospace
but nothing responded to the actual needs of aerospace industry.
companies. There are a few platforms with thousands of
features aimed at different industries and bulky licen- ABOUT
sing processes. But why purchase an expensive license DMD Solutions is an engineering company located in
where half of the functionalities remain unused? This Barcelona (Spain) and Luzern (Switzerland) founded in
might not be a stopper for big companies, but what hap- 2014 by Dario Di Martino. A team of highly specialised ae-
pens with medium-sized companies, such as trainer air- rospace engineers caters for the needs of the aerospace
craft integrators, business jets, light helicopters, drones industry in the Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and
or urban mobility vehicles? Safety fields, providing consultancy services both remo-
Robin is a good fit for companies which need a straight- tely and on-site.
forward tool to support and speed up their efforts to- CONTACT: Joana Verdera – [email protected]
wards safety, reliability and maintainability analyses in DMD Solutions’site: www.dmd.solutions
aerospace.” Robin RAM’s site: www.robinrams.com
n
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 31 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
SPACE AEROSPACE
EUROPE
The mission is expected to last 180 days, meaning the 2. Crew-1 astronauts – (l-r) Walker, Glover, Hopkins and
Noguchi – © Credit NASA
flight will return to Earth in May 2021, via splashdown in
the Atlantic Ocean for another future mission.
CREW
• Spacecraft Commander: Michael S. Hopkins, NASA,
2nd spaceflight
• Pilot: Victot J. Glover, NASA, 1st spaceflight
• Mission Specialist 1: Soichi Nogushi, JAXA, 3rd spaceflight
• Mission Specialist 2: Shannon Walker, NASA, 2nd space-
flight
n
1. Falcon 9 with Resilience lifts off from KSC LC-39, 16
November 2020 at 00:27 – © Credit NASA
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • Janvier 2021 32 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE SPACE
EUROPE
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 33 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • Janvier 2021
SPACE AEROSPACE
EUROPE
LINKS TO VIDEOS
Video of the launch (about 2 minutes)
Inside SpaceX’s Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2020/11/
US Air Force Base (CAL), the US-European Sentinel-6A Copernicus_Sentinel-6_Michael_Freilich_liftoff_replay
Michael Freilich is being encapsulated in the SpaceX
Falcon 9 payload fairing, 3 November 2020. © Credit NASA Video of the launcher-satellite separation (0:10 minutes) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EK-
RESPONSIBILITY SHARING edpLvDwo&feature=share
• ESA: development of first satellite 6A – procurement of
6B on behalf of the European Commission - launch and 1. Dr Michael H. Freilich led NASA’s work on Earth Science
early operations phase (LEOP) of 6A and 6B. over more than 12 years until he retired in February 2019.
• EUMETSAT: Ground segment development – ope- Owing to the outstanding contribution to Erath science
rations of satellites after LEOP conducted by ESA – worldwide and also in advancing the Sentinel-6 mission, it
operations of European part of the ground segment had been decided name the latter by his name.
– processing of altimeter data and delivery of product
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • Janvier 2021 34 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE SPACE
EUROPE
FROM ARIANESPACE
• FLIGHT VEGA VV17: FAILURE OF THE SEOSAT- • SOYUZ FLIGHT VS 64: SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH OF
Ingenico –TARANIS MISSION FALCON EYE
On 16 November 2020 the VV 17 Vega launcher lifted
from the Guiana Space Centre. It was carrying two pay- On 2nd of December 2020 at 01:33 UTC, Arianespace suc-
loads: cessfully launched ‘Falcon Eye’ with a Soyuz launcher
• The Earth science observation satellite SEOSAT-Inge- from Guiana Space Centre.
nico, for ESA;
• The TARANIS satellite, for the Space French Agency Falcon Eye is a very high-performance optical Earth Ob-
(CNES). servation satellite for the United Arab Emirates Armed
Eight minutes after liftoff, following the first ignition of the Forces (UAEAF). This satellite had been developed in a
engine of the Avum upper stage, a deviation of the tra- consortium led by Airbus Defence and Space and Thales
jectory was identified, entailing the loss of the mission. Alenia Space as well as with their client, the UAEAF for
The launcher fell in a 10% uninhabited area, the drop Falcon Eye, along with the French Space Agency (CNES)
zone planned for the Zefiro 9 stage. and the French Armament Procurement Agency (DGA).
The launch of Falcon Eye satellite with a Soyuz launcher from European Spaceport, French Guiana, on 2 December
2020 at 01:33 UTC. Credit Arianespace.
n
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 35 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
EDUCATION AND TRAINING AEROSPACE
EUROPE
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 36 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE EDUCATION AND TRAINING
EUROPE
A310 Zero G therefore help to increase knowledge in refitted to transport Chancellor Angela Merkel as well as
almost every area of science: combustion, fluid, material, other members of the German Government. It was then
particle physics, chemistry, animal and vegetal biology, named ‘Konrad Adenauer’ in honour of the post-war Ger-
physiology, etc. The Airbus A310 Zero G is a true flying man Chancellor.
laboratory shared by multidisciplinary and multinatio-
nal teams which are often the same exploiting also the PARABOLIC FLIGHTS: SPECIAL FEATURES
International Space Station (ISS) but with the following The aircraft was refurbished for parabolic flights from
differences: on board the Zero G plane, the continuous September 2014 to March 2015 by Lufthansa Technics in
time of weightlessness is far shorter but scientists work Hamburg. Most of the changes were made to the cabin. All
by themselves on their experiments and don’t have to seats have been removed along the twenty meters long
delegate the tasks to astronauts. Besides the design front part of the cabin thus providing 100 m2 of experimen-
and qualification of the experimental hardware benefits tal area, which has been fitted with foam on all surfaces,
a far quicker turnaround. It takes typically six months to LED ceiling lighting bars, solid hand rails, power supply
design and build a qualified hardware for a Zero G flight panels and venting lines. The original seat tracks arrange-
as opposed to several years for an ISS flight qualification. ment have been kept for the fixation of any experimental
hardware on the floor. It offers a volume of 200 m3 (length
DISCOVERY FLIGHTS 20 m, width 5 m, maximum height 2.25 m) for a wide range
Following a process defined by the French Civil Aviation of microgravity experiments sizes and weights.
Authority, verified by the aircraft manufacturer Airbus The upper stowage compartments have been removed
and approved by the European Aviation Safety Agency and security nets have been added in the front and rear
(EASA), Novespace was granted in 2012 a formal airwor- limits of the area (figure 2).
thiness certification for weightlessness discovery flights
opened to paying passengers or private companies,
the first wishing to experience the incredible sensation
offered by true weightlessness, and the latter for eye-
catching communication advertising and filming
purposes. Composed of 15 parabolas, each discovery
parabolic flight produces the same weightlessness as
astronauts experience in space. Accompanied by myself,
passengers take part in exciting free-floating activities.
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 37 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
EDUCATION AND TRAINING AEROSPACE
EUROPE
The rear part of the cabin offers the usual public trans- and 15 parabolas flight, a post-landing ceremony with a
port aircraft configuration with about 50 seats installed Certificate delivery to each passenger, a lunch cocktail
on 7 rows. and a spaceflight presentation of my 3 space shuttle
missions. Twelve fixed cameras and three photo/video
ZERO G FLIGHT SPECIFIC EQUIPMENT professionals take images all along the flight, available
AND MAINTENANCE on line the same day.
Passengers are seated during the take-off and landing. All financial benefits from discovery flights are retroce-
In addition to the standard safety equipment, each seat ded to space agencies in order to increase their space
is equipped with a smoke protection hood. The aircraft research activity.
structure, engines and systems were not modified. Spe-
cial Flight instruments were developed and fitted to MARS AND LUNAR GRAVITY FLIGHT
the cockpit to allow pilots to fly precise parabolic ma- The technique used to fly parabolic manoeuvres can be
noeuvres. Airbus defined a specific maintenance pro- easily adapted to reproduce a reduced non-zero gravity
gramme which was adapted to reflect the specific cha- field in the cabin such as 0.16 g for Lunar and 0.37 g for
racteristics of parabolic flights. Mars parabolas. Once in a while scientific campaigns are
fully dedicated to such low gravity research. One Mars
ORGANISATONS OF THE FLIGHTS and two Moon gravity parabolas are flown at the begin-
Scientific flights are organised in standard campaigns ning of all discovery flights.
over a two-week period each, and most of the time
based in Bordeaux-Mérignac airport. But they may so- SPECIAL DISCOVERY FLIGHTS
metimes be organised from another airfield like in recent Among special customers of Novespace, we have
years from Frankfurt (Germany), from Dubendorf (Swit- seen: Universal studio for a movie with Tom Cruise, the
zerland), or few months ago from Padenborn (Germa- company Big City Beats for a dancing party in Zero G
ny) where the campaign operations were possible with similar to night-club in weightlessness, the company
regards to the COVID-19 sanitary restrictions. The first GH MUMM for a demonstration of the “Grand Cordon
week is dedicated to hardware assembly, checkout and Stellar” the only bottle capable of serving Champagne
installation in the aircraft. The second week is dedicated in weightlessness, the company Orbital Views for an
to flight operations. It starts with a safety visit followed augmented Lunar or Zero gravity experience thanks to a
by a safety briefing on the first day (Monday), followed virtual 3D-360 headset worn during the parabolas.
on each of the three or four following days by a morning Novespace also organized a flight for disabled teena-
flight of 31 parabolas, a short post landing debriefing gers who enjoyed floating freely without feeling any legs
and the preparation for the next day. Each flight provides handicap.
12 minutes of cumulated weightlessness.
TAKE A LOOK INSIDE OUR AIRBUS A310
Discovery flights marketed under the brand ‘Air Zero G’ ZERO G FLIGHTS
represent less than 10% of Novespace activity. They last Discover photos and videos of aviation and space fans,
one day. An optional diner where the passengers can sport personalities, actors and top scientists working or
meet the cabin crew is proposed the evening before the floating in gravity-free conditions on board the Airbus
flight. The flight day includes the safety briefing, a 2-hour A310 ZERO G: https://www.airzerog.com/fr (figure 3)
Figure 3: A view of weightless fans floating like a human wing around astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy on board
the Novespace’s Airbus A310 Zero G. © Novespace.
AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021 38 Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies
AEROSPACE EVENT CALENDAR
EUROPE
07-10 April – IndoAerospace – INDO AEROSPACE 31 May - 02 June – State Research Center of the Russian
2021 - 9th Indo Aerospace Expo & Forum – Jakarta Federation Elektropribor – 28th Saint Petersburg In-
Bulletin of the Council of European Aerospace Societies 39 AEROSPACE EUROPE Bulletin • January 2021
BULLETIN
AEROSPACE
EUROPE
NOVEMBER
JULY 19-24 November – CEAS/PSAA – AEC2021 – AEROS-
04-09 July – EUCASS/3AF – EUCASS/3AF CONFE- PACE EUROPE CONFERENCE 2021 – Warsaw (Poland)
RENCE – Lille (France) – Grand Palais – https://www. – Luksiewiez Research Network – Institute of Aviation –
eucass.eu/ www.psaa.meil.pw.edu.pl