romanian space agency

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romanian space agency
Regional Network for Research and Education in
Space Science and Technology for Central,
Eastern and South-Eastern Europe
Marius-Ioan PISO, Romania
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Goals

• Human resources building to meet the space
  science and technology development for the 21st
  Century
• Access of the Countries of the Region to the
  permanent renewing of the space technologies
• Promote the full integration of the Central
  Eastern and South-Eastern European Countries
  potential in the space endeavor for peaceful uses
  of outer space
• Contribute, by approaching to the requirements of
  the space programs developed by powerful space
  organizations as the European Space Agency, to
  the technological development and welfare of the
  region

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Means

• Exchange of information on a permanent basis
  between the national core institutions
• Higher education in space-related fields at the
  best international levels, making use of
  international and local expertise
• Masters and Ph.D. in space science and technology
  for multi- and interdisciplinary fields
• Develop common space research and infrastructure
  projects required by the expected level of the
  educational process
• Low cost research and development projects in all
  major fields of space science and technology,
  using the common experience and capabilities of
  the Countries of the Region

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Objectives

• A Network of Space Research and Education
  Institutions in Central Eastern and South Eastern
  European Countries
• Promote, by space specific multi- and
  inter-disciplinary methods, higher level capacity
  building in the region
• Develop future specific regional space education,
  research and applications projects
• Develop joint space scientific and operational
  programs and benefit of them at the regional
  level
• Connect and integrate the Network to significant
  international and national space organizations

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Project Regional Network for Research and
Education in Space Science and Technology

• Exchange of information on a permanent basis
  between the national core institutions
• Higher education in space-related fields at the
  best international levels, making use of
  international and local expertise
• Masters and Ph.D. in space science and technology
  for multi- and interdisciplinary fields
• Develop common space research and infrastructure
  projects required by the expected level of the
  educational process
• Low cost research and development projects in all
  major fields of space science and technology,
  using the common experience and capabilities of
  the Countries of the Region

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Central Eastern and South-Eastern European
Countries Involved in the Project (1997-1998)

• Bulgaria
• Czech Republic (invited)
• Greece
• Hungary
• Poland
• Slovak Republic
• Romania
• Turkey
• . . .

Information synthesized from the Composite
document, some National Space Activities Reports,
ESA and other sources.
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Central Eastern and South-Eastern Europe Network
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History

• 1990 - The UN should lead . . . an international
  effort to establish regional centers for space
  science and technology education . .
• 1993 - Regional Centers on Space Science and
  Technology Education (A./AC.105/534)
• 1993 - 1996 - Greece, Romania and other Member
  States offered to host or to serve as a node for
  such a Center covering the region of the Economic
  Commission for Europe
• 1996 - Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary,
  Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Turkey
  reiterated the agreement to establish a Network
  of space science and technology institutions,
  devoted primarily to capacity building
• 1996 - UN-OOSA Meeting of Experts from the
  countries of the region

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1997

• Exchange of information on two key areas
• space activities in each country - main research
  groups, topics and projects
• space-related educational programs in each
  country - main fields of university level
  expertise and training facilities
• The countries have established the national Core
  institution which is more familiar with the
  programs in the areas of space science and
  technology
• UN-OOSA Composite document - the basis for
  further organization and the technical study to
  be prepared for an agreed network
• . . . Experts Meeting at OOSA - February 1997

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United Nations Document Report of the Committee
on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space-1997
(A/52/20), Para.58

• . The Committee noted that discussions between
  Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and
  Turkey were in progress on the establishment of a
  Network of space science and technology research
  and education institutions for States of Central,
  Eastern and South-Eastern Europe and that the
  activities of the network would be in harmony
  with the relevant work of existing institutions
  in Europe and would be open to international
  cooperation. The Committee also noted that a
  meeting of experts had been held at Vienna on 17
  and 18 October 1996 on the establishment of the
  network and that the experts had resumed their
  deliberations on 13 and 14 February 1997. The
  Committee further noted that at the first meeting
  the representatives of Bulgaria, Greece, Poland,
  Romania, Slovakia and Turkey had agreed to
  establish the network.(1) The Committee noted
  that at the resumed meeting the experts had
  agreed to work with the Office for Outer Space
  Affairs to undertake a study on the technical
  requirements, design, operation mechanism and
  funding of the network. The Committee noted as
  well that Italy supported the initiative to
  establish the network of space science and
  technology research and education institutions
• Since 1998, also Hungary joined the initiative

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Technical Study Mission

• 1998 (November) - 1999 (January)
• A technical study mission has been performed by
  OOSA and with the support of Italy to undertake
  study on the technical requirements, design,
  operation mechanism and funding of the network
• The National coordinators and core institutions
  from Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece,
  Turkey and Slovak Republic were visited
• The attempt of the mission is to gather, update
  and synthesize information from the host
  countries, together with the national
  coordinators

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UNISPACE III Regional Preparatory Conference in
Bucharest

• 25-29 January 1999
• 21 countries and 8 international organizations
• All the countries participant in the Network
  attended the meeting
• Recommendations were given for the strengthening
  of the regional cooperation
• Several future common projects were proposed, as
• Microsatellite for hazard monitoring in the
  region
• Satelite information-communication system for the
  Network countries

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UNISPACE III Conference in Vienna

• 19-30 July 1999
• Informal discussions between participants
• Network presented in the Technical Forum
• The participant countries reaffirmed the will to
  further developments
• The Network supported in plenum by the European
  Commission and other Western Countries
• A Network meeting has been planned for October
  1999

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Recent progress

• Network Meeting in Sofia , 21-22 October 1999,
  Participants - 6 countries and UN-OOSA
• Proposals
• to conclude a MoU between countries to be signed
  by the National coordinators during the STS
  Meeting in Vienna - February 2000
• to prepare proposals of projects of regional
  relevance
• UN General Assembly - Resolution007/54/12/99
• Requested the provision of support to Regional
  Centers, including the Network

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National Space Programs Major DirectionsBULGARIA

• Space observation
• Life science (biotechnology, space food, global
  changes and others)
• Space meteorology
• Space communications and navigation
• Creation of new materials
• Technocal appliances and systems (infrastructure)
  
• Core institution Bulgarian Academy of Sciences -
  Sofia

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National Space Programs Major DirectionsCZECH
REPUBLIC

• Space Physics and Atmospheric Sciences
• Astronomy
• Development of the space onboard instruments
• Development of the MAGION series of small
  satellites
• Space Law
• Participation to the CESAR microsatellite project
• Participation to international space missions
• Czech Republic, however invited, is not still a
  participant to the Network
• (UN A/AC.105/661, December 1996)

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National Space Programs Major DirectionsGREECE

• Geodesy and Geodynamics
• Earth Observation
• Atmospheric sciences
• Satellite communications
• Applications to meteorology, climatology, upper
  atmosphere studies, land cover/land use, forest
  mapping, cadastral mapping, marine research
• Development of infrastructure

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National Space Programs Major DirectionsHUNGARY

• Space-Earth System
• including remote sensing
• Space Physics
• Space Life Sciences
• Satellite Technics and Technologies
• including satellite communications and
  information, materials science
• Participation to international space missions
• Participation to the CESAR microsatellite project
• (Space activities in Hungary 1994-95 -National
  Report)

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National Space Programs Major DirectionsPOLAND

• Space Physics
• Satellite Geodesy
• Remote Sensing
• Space Medicine and Biology
• Space Technology and Astronautics
• Participation to international space missions
• Participation to the CESAR microsatellite project
• Development of the POLSTAR national satellite
  communications system
• Core institution Space Research Center - Warsawa

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National Space Programs Major DirectionsROMANIA

• Space Strategy and Policy
• Basic Space Sciences, Space Physics and
  Astronomy, Microgravity and Life sciences
• Space and Aerospace Techniques, Microgravity
• Space Communications and Information
• Earth Observation
• Project of a small scientific and operational
  satellite
• Participation to international space missions
• Core institution Romanian Space Agency -
  Bucharest

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National Space Programs Major DirectionsSLOVAK
REPUBLIC

• Astronomy
• Space Physics and Geophysics
• Life Sciences in Space
• Remote sensing applications
• GIS, environmental monitoring
• Hydrometeorology
• Danube Remote Sensing DEMO project
• Participation to international space missions
• Core institution Slovak Hydrometeorological
  Institute

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National Space Programs Major DirectionsTURKEY

• Atmospheric and Space Sciences
• Space Electronics
• Training and Education
• Infrastructure facilities in remote sensing,
  satellite communications and radioastronomy
• Participation to international space applications
  programs
• Core institution Marmara Research Center -
  TUBITAK

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Affiliation to Space Organizations and Agreements
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National Space-Related Educational Programs

• Major areas of space-related educational fields
  are represented in most of the Countries in the
  Region, and they are related to the national
  space programs
• Some similarities occur in the countries former
  members of the INTERKOSMOS organization
• Several general fields seem to be relatively more
  developed in some countries, due to specific
  geographical or industrial conditions
• All countries offer doctoral training facilities
  on precise fields
• Some countries offer existent training technical
  and logistic infrastructure
• The emergent suggested general curriculum is a
  reunion of the ones proposed and covers most of
  the space fields

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National Space-Related Educational
ProgramsGeneral curriculum

• Common education module. Space policy and law.
  Information science and systems
• Fundamental science of space and Astronomy
• Space sciences, Earth and atmospheric sciences
• Microgravity and Life sciences
• Satellite communications curriculum
• Meteorological satellite applications curriculum
• Remote sensing and GIS curriculum
• Space instrumentation, aerospace construction,
  spaceflight dynamics and mission design

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Specific international cooperation ofthe
countries in the region

• All countries meet the following
• participants to relevant international treaties
  and agreements related to the peaceful uses of
  outer space
• participants to particular space science and
  applications high-level international programs
• members of COSPAR
• Some countries have long duration experience in
  the INTERKOSMOS organization
• Some countries have signed Agreement of
  cooperation with the European Space Agency
• Some countries have established their own
  national space agencies

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Common information

• Needed for the establishment of the Network
• national sectors, institutions, rules with a view
  to the national space development plan
• projects of a special interest to each country
• projects than can be co-developed
• projects/activities of interest for the network
  which are unique for each country
• SWOT analysis of programs/activities
• financial support provided by each country for
  the Network, other sources of funding
• technical and professional background of the core
  and associated institutions
• Technical requirements and operation mechanism

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Proposals for the next steps

• Output of the Technical Study
• The Network Agreement
• Advisory Board
• Network Information System
• Common Projects within the Network

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Network Agreement

• Conclusion of an Agreement for the Establishment
  of a Network of Space Science and Technology
  Research and Education Institutions in
  Central-Eastern and South-Eastern Europe
• endorsed by all the participant countries and
  OOSA
• agreement open to all interested countries
• to establish at least
• the administrative structure of the Network
• the operation of the electronic information
  network
• the forms of cooperation, as
• exchange of information
• exchange of students/scientists
• seminars and workshops
• the necessary relations with major space
  organizations

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Common projects within the Network

• Common research and development projects should
  present some the following features
• medium and long term - the average duration
  needed to complete a Ph.D.... thesis
• multi- and interdisciplinarity - to prepare space
  experts and to give the possibility to
  accommodate groups of several students having
  different base academic qualifications
• producers of large amounts of data - to optimize
  the utilization of standard existing information
  technology
• contents in both theoretical and experimental
  components
• low-cost and presumptive sources of space
  spin-offs

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Project Microsatellite

• Development of a small satellite with remote
  sensing, informational and educational
  capabilities
• Main purpose - promotion of space science,
  technology and applications with spin-offs to
  regional development and capacity building
• Applications
• hazard and environmental monitoring
• medium resolution (25 m) Earth Observation
• Total cost of the project 8.3 Mio USD / 2.5 years

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Benefits

• Developing of
• data processing facilities
• mission control centers
• educational space communication facilities
• education masters and Ph.D. Thesis in
  space-related fields
• formation of new research and development groups
  devoted to a longer term project, the
  sustainability conferred by a regional
  cooperation being more significant that the one
  offered by each country in the region
• Commercial type benefits

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Project ProposalSatellite Communication and
Information Network

• Objective
• To install a satellite communication antenna
  (VSAT) at the locations of the National Core
  institutions of the Network
• Purpose
• By means of effective communication, to improve
  the exchange of information in the Network, with
  a view to a common database of space related
  information
• Costs (per node)
• 10.000-14.000 - infrastructure
• 9.000-15.000 / yr - a 256384 k permanent
  satellite link
• Spin-off
• Internet services provider for others,
  teleconference, telemedicine

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Satellite Communication and Information Network
Satellite Communication and Information Network
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Project ProposalSatellite Communication and
Information Network

• Results
• distant learning and education
• online exchange of data for meteorology, hazard
  monitoring, geographic information systems,
  scientific data, astronomy, geodynamics,
  environment
• a reliable support for an extended regional
  database on space information
• centres of excellence to facilitate the
  integration in the European and global
  information systems
• Possibilities of financial support
• National space programmes, ESA, EC DG XII and DG
  XIII in the Fifth Framework Programme

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Conclusions

• The project of the Network of Space Science and
  Technology Capacity Building Institutions in
  Central Eastern and South Eastern is under
  progress, a significant advance being performed
  since its establishment in 1996
• The Network should develop both academic and
  research/development activities to ensure the
  production of professionals in renewing multi-
  and interdisciplinary space related fields with
  applications to regional development and capacity
  building
• The activity of the Network could rely in the
  first phase on
• information exchange
• a common regional space project - e.g.
  microsatellite for hazard monitoring in the
  region
• The organizational issues for the functioning of
  the Network should be accomplished up to the end
  of the year