MANAGEMENT of TECHNICAL INFORMATION for European Space R

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MANAGEMENT of TECHNICAL INFORMATION for
European Space RD EFFICIENCY and INNOVATION
Presented by Jean Broquet Chairman of the
EUROSPACE RT Panel
Space Technology Management Innovation
Workshop Lisbon, 7-9 May 2003
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• Technology is far from being easy to manage, not
  because decision is hard to make in front of true
  alternative, but rather because very detailed
  information is generally needed in order to fully
  understand the field of application and the
  potential value of innovation.
• What is uneasy at the level of a single company
  is obviously even harder at the overall European
  level.
• The management of technical information related
  to RD is one of the key challenge for the
  European Space RD Harmonisation and
  Consolidation.

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EUROPEAN SPACE TECHNOLOGY THE CHALLENGE IS
STILL INCREASING

• European Industry, which benefits from a far
  lesser institutional support than its US
  competitors, very badly suffers from the current
  commercial market slump.
• The Industrial restructuration in Europe is still
  going on with full efficiency still to be
  achieved.
• The Defence and Security specific technologies
  should progressively be addressed at European
  level.
• Critical Technology and Industrial short-comings
  are becoming even greater issues. (They are
  addressed in the European Green Paper)
• There is  de facto  a European dependence to
  non European technologies due to current buy from
  the US either for competitiveness or higher
  performance
• Critical technologies include Radiation hardened
  micro-electronics but also MMICs foundries,
  large unfurlable antennas,
• European qualified technologies sources could
  also be disrupted in areas which require space
  specific investment such as Micro-electronic
  foundries
• Understanding technology dependence issues and
  assessing costs and risks associated with
  potential European answers are becoming even more
  critical, in the process of European Technology
  consolidation

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DIFFERENT STEPS in a FULL TECHNOLOGY
HARMONISATION and CONSOLIDATION PROCESS

• Starting from vision, plans and capabilities
  from individual countries or organisations
• Harmonisation of views on RD needs (aiming at
  usefulness and efficiency of RD plan)
• Identification of most convenient split into
  elementary functions and standardisation of
  interfaces for corresponding  Building Blocks 
  (aiming at compatibility of RD efforts even
  managed separately)
• Joint evaluation of existing technology and
  products (aiming at developing confidence in each
  other current technology capability)
• Comparison of ESA, EUs 6th F.P (overall) and
  National or other RD plans and capabilities, and
  iteration for
• Eliminating unwanted duplication of efforts and
  enlarging satisfaction of needs
• Developing risk reduction measures for unanswered
  needs
• Promoting useful standardisation
• Delivery of information on consolidated
  Technology plans and implementation
• Some of the above elements are well implemented
  in the current European Technology Harmonisation
  process. Some other are still at a preliminary
  stage of implementation.

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ILLUSTRATION of POTENTIAL ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH
MANAGEMENT of TECHNICAL INFORMATION (1/3)

• Increased innovation at equipment level
   building block approach 
•  Star Sensors  item was submitted to
  harmonisation in 2001
• Several companies initiated complete sensor
  development from innovation in a single area such
  as algorithm, or APS detector, or electronic
  implementation
• No sensor benefited from all innovation, and many
  competitors emerged
• Sharing characterisation of building blocks could
  help Europe at building complete products
  benefiting from background of some companies and
  from several individual innovation(s) of others
• Increased confidence in  Others Technology 
  consolidated evaluation and information
•  Li Ion batteries  item was submitted to
  harmonisation in 2002
• A  regulated  large battery cells approach has
  been developed by one company for Geostationary
  satellites while an  unregulated  small cells
  approach has been promoted by another company and
  used for small satellites
• Very different views were expressed on the
  potential application of  unregulated  approach
  to large satellites, leading to disagreement on
  RD effort to be done
• Agreeing on convincing test plan and sharing
  information between experts on test results
  should help Europe to consolidate views and plans

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ILLUSTRATION of POTENTIAL ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH
MANAGEMENT of TECHNICAL INFORMATION (2/3)

• Improved attractiveness of European Technology
  shared views on needs and effective criteria for
  selection
•  Pyrotechnic devices  was submitted to a
  mapping meeting in 2003
• Question on  what to do in Europe in order to
  reinforce attractiveness of European products as
  compared to US ones ?   received no definitive
  answer partly because many pyrotechnics devices
  bought from the US are part of larger equipment
  units
• Understanding what needs to be done to improve
  European product competitiveness sometimes
  necessitates detailed investigation by people
  from both supplier and user industry.
• Improved efficiency in Ground Segment Software
  assessment of standardisation plan efficiency
•  Ground Segment Software  item was submitted to
  harmonisation in 2002
• The question of core software harmonisation in
  Satellite Control Segments and EGSE areas was
  addressed. One issue is related to the impact on
  industrial efficiency in the coming years
• A Steering Board has been implemented by ESA
  together with national institutions and industry
  (Eurospace) to work on future plan
• Detailed investigation involving industry is
  necessary each time a significant move in tools,
  methods, standards or products is considered.

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ILLUSTRATION of POTENTIAL ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH
MANAGEMENT of TECHNICAL INFORMATION (3/3)

• European capability for High Efficiency GaAs
  Solar Cells joint expression of needs in key
  technology areas.
•  Solar Generators  items were submitted to
  harmonisation in 2000
• The critical dependence upon the US was discussed
  and it was agreed to initiate a new plan for 3J
  GaAs solar cell development in Europe
• The capability demonstrated so far by RWE and
  Supporting Institute is very good. Europe will
  have a qualified production capability this year
• The 3J GaAs Solar Cells case is so far a positive
  illustration of the effectiveness of the
  Technology harmonisation process for jointly
  recognising critical needs and supporting
  important effort for risk reduction
• European anticipation of breakthrough in
  technology or system areas development of
  common vision on future systems
• Helio-thermal propulsion will be part of one item
  of the next 2003 harmonisation round
• Different expectations are currently placed on
  such technology, probably because there is a lack
  of global information on remaining issues
• Specific workshops or meetings on future systems
  (Nuclear Propulsion, Helio-thermal Propulsion,
  Space Solar Station,) are helpful for developing
  share European Vision on future systems and then
  to agree on priorities for long term technology
  development

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CORE FUNCTIONS FOR COLLECTING and MANAGING
TECHNICAL INFORMATION

• Many complementary functions are included or
  discussed within ESA Harmonisation process or
  elsewhere at ESA or National Agencies
• Technology Observatory
• Collection of European technology needs
• Technology mapping
• Technology monitoring
• Technology plans
• Technology dependence
• Reference Vision for future Space Systems and
  Technologies
• Many other information are necessary and used to
  finally decide on what to do on a case by case
  basis at technology level
• Developing and structuring functions for
  collecting and Managing Technical information is
  a positive move for Europe.
• However, many specific investigations, to be
  defined on a case by case basis, will remain
  necessary. Industry must be a full actor for
  generating and detailing technical information

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ROLE and SUPPORT of the EUROSPACE RT PANEL to
the HARMONISATION PROCESS TODAY

• The Eurospace RT Panel uses to elaborate overall
  recommendations in technology areas, e.g. in
  98-99
• Eurospace Recommendations for RD actions in
  critical space Technology areas (Eurospace Top 10
  RD priorities)
• Critical technologies for military space 
• Preparing views and recommendations for
  presentation in the European Technology
  Harmonisation Mapping meetings is now becoming a
  recurrent activity for the industry
  representatives in the Eurospace RT Panel.
• This preparation is definitely an opportunity for
  industry to move, item after item, from
  individual views to shared views
• Eurospace participation is also becoming
  effective for
• Expressing needs in Dossier 0
• Expressing comments at ESA request on other
  Harmonisation functions such as  Technology
  Observatory 
• Eurospace has recently been invited to send
  representatives to the Steering Board organised
  by ESA on  Ground Control Software , and to be
  part of several working groups in different
  technical areas.
• One of the key question for Industry, but also
  for Institutions, is how and how far Eurospace
  should get involved in the ESA Harmonisation and
  Consolidation process beyond what it is doing
  today

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EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY HARMONISATION and
CONSOLIDATION LIKELY DESERVES MORE INDUSTRY
COORDINATION INVOLVEMENT

• The positive move of ESA and National Agencies
  for Harmonisation is an opportunity for Industry
  to organise itself in order to be a full partner
  in the process.
• The experience with Eurospace coordination to
  date is encouraging and allows to consider
  further steps.
• The various invitations made by ESA Technology
  managers to Eurospace, for additional comments,
  recommendations or participation to expert groups
  show that there is a need and that Eurospce can
  fulfil it.
• The practical conditions for a larger Eurospace
  involvement in the Harmonisation process are
  twofolds
• Effective opportunity of iteration with ESA (and
  National Agencies) technical teams before mapping
  meetings. (For each selected item, debate on
  objectives, issues and specific information
  needed )
• Specific mobilisation of industry beyond regular
  Eurospace members according to each Harmonisation
  item to be discussed. The Eurospace forum allows
  it.
• An acceptation by institutions of a larger role
  of  European Industry  as a whole in the
  Technology Harmonisation and Consolidation
  process is a pre-requisite.
• There is an opportunity for reinforcing Industry
  coordination and involvement in the European
  Technology Harmonisation and Consolidation
  process.
• This should be recognised now by Top Managers of
  both Institutions and Industry.

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SYNTHESIS

• Technology Harmonisation and Consolidation is an
  increasingly critical need for Europe. The
  Technology Harmonisation initiative between ESA
  and National Space Agencies is progressively
  getting results and momentum.
• For being efficient, technology management needs
  reliable access to well structured collection of
  information and to many specific case by case
  investigations for which industry involvement is
  mandatory.
• Industry through Eurospace is involved in some
  extent in the ESA Harmonisation and Consolidation
  process.
• There are indications that a larger involvement
  of Industry as a whole would help further
  improving efficiency.
• It is probably the right time for reinforcing
  Eurospace role in the process.