Value chain · CLM-1265
In plain terms
ESA planned to finish the whole set of studies in under two years, roughly 2003 to 2005, with the three steps taking about six, six and eight months.
The claim as recorded
ESA's 2003 SPS programme plan schedules phase I at 5 to 6 months, phase II at 6 months and phase III at 7 to 8 months, within an overall programme stated as "lasting about 18 to 24 month" and to be accomplished in not more than two years. The phase durations are from p.15 (paraphrase; phase III also p.14, phase II also p.13). Summed end to end they come to 5 + 6 + 7 = 18 to 6 + 6 + 8 = 20 months (computed here), inside the 18 to 24 month range (p.6). Section 3.4 states the tasks "should be accomplished in not more than 2 years" (p.17). Phase II is to start at the earliest after the mid-term review of the phase I terrestrial-alternatives study (p.13, paraphrase), and that review is planned about three months after kick-off (p.12, paraphrase), so phases may overlap. Each study has three milestones: kick-off, mid-term review and final presentation (p.15, paraphrase). The legal study was to last about 3 to 4 months (p.12, paraphrase).
Evidence behind this: The agency's own planned durations, July 2003; plans, not achieved dates.
Scope and limits
PLANNED DURATIONS, NOT ACHIEVED ONES. No start date or kick-off date is given, only the 2003-2005 timeframe. No held record says when, or whether, the phases ran. The plan sets no date for a demonstrator, first power or any later SPS programme. Its outlook is a timescale "in the order of 20 to 30 years" for SPS (p.5, paraphrase) and Mars exploration around 2030 (p.5, p.11, paraphrase).
What it assumes
Phases run end to end for the 18 to 20 month sum; the plan allows overlap, which would shorten it.
Where it comes from
p.3: "timeframe 2003-2005". p.6 (section 1.5, Programme): "lasting about 18 to 24 month". p.12: mid-term review about three months after kick-off; legal study about 3 to 4 months. p.13: phase II starts at the earliest after the phase I mid-term review and lasts about 6 months. p.14: phase III about 7 to 8 months. p.15 (section 3.1): durations 5 to 6, 6 and 7-8 months; milestones SM1 to SM3. p.17 (section 3.4): "should be accomplished in not more than 2 years".
Basis: planned durations in months as stated; sum recomputed here
Related records
- Answers question
- QST-027 not published in this release
Cite this
energyaperture.com/c/clm-1265
CLM-1265, Energy Aperture, as of 2003-07-08.
Connected records
Other published records linked to this one. A list, not a judgement.
- Also from SRC-638
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