Value chain · CLM-1266
In plain terms
ESA set up a small expert advisory group and its in-house futures team to steer the studies. It also linked the work to a wider European research network bid that brought together energy, combustion and space groups.
The claim as recorded
ESA's 2003 SPS programme plan puts the programme under an ESA Technical Officer, assisted by a Topical Team of SPS experts, with close cooperation planned between contractors and ESA's Advanced Concepts Team (ACT), and ties it to a European Network on SPS and to the ESSPERANS expression of interest under the EU 6th Framework Programme. The plan states that "a Topical Team has been established" to assist the Technical Officer in managing, organising and controlling the programme (p.16). The ACT is to be integrated in the work, with data shared with contractors (p.12, paraphrase), and is planned to issue an intermediate report at the end of each phase (p.16, paraphrase). Workshops open to the European Network on SPS were under consideration (p.11, paraphrase). Each phase I task was to include material serving the aims of ESSPERANS, an expression of interest prepared by a CNRS research director (p.11, p.21, paraphrase). The ESSPERANS partner table lists about 33 organisations, ESA among them (p.25, paraphrase).
Evidence behind this: The agency's own statement of how it meant to run the programme and whom it meant to involve; not a record of contracts or partners signed.
Scope and limits
NO CONTRACTORS, SUMS OR TOPICAL TEAM MEMBERS ARE NAMED. The plan does not say whether ESSPERANS was submitted, accepted or funded. Its own pages call it both a Network of Excellence (p.2, p.20) and an Integrated Project (p.21). The partner table is of supporters of the expression of interest "at this stage" (p.24, paraphrase), not of contracted partners. p.25 lists 33 partner rows.
What it assumes
No assumptions are recorded against this claim.
Where it comes from
p.11: workshops open especially to the European Network on SPS; the programme is set within 6th FP energy research; ESSPERANS participation is to be taken into account (paraphrase). p.12: several studies in close cooperation with the ACT; the ESA Technical Officer, assisted by the Topical Team, makes the overall assessment after phase I (paraphrase). p.16 (section 3.3): the plan is prepared and kept updated by the ESA Technical Officer and made available to the European Network for Solar Power Satellites; "a Topical Team has been established"; close contractor-ACT cooperation is planned; the ACT issues intermediate reports (paraphrase except the quoted span). p.21: ESSPERANS prepared by a CNRS research director (Orleans); time frame to 2040 (paraphrase). p.25: partner table, with ESA listed (NL, ORG) (paraphrase).
Basis: planned organisation and named bodies as stated
Related records
- Answers question
- QST-030 not published in this release
Cite this
energyaperture.com/c/clm-1266
CLM-1266, 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
- CLM-1263In 2003 ESA planned a two-year set of paper studies to help its member countries decide whether space solar power was worth pursuing. The...CLM-1264The plan had three steps. First, check whether space solar makes sense against ground solar, what the law allows, and whether it could...CLM-1265ESA 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...CLM-1267ESA also wanted to know whether beaming solar power from a satellite could power Mars and Moon bases or distant probes, because Europe had...CLM-1268In 2003 ESA's own rough internal sums suggested space solar and comparable ground solar would cost about the same, to within a factor of...