4 Space Agencies in the World

Dr. Puneeta Pandey

1. Learning Objectives

 

The purpose of this module is to familiarize the reader with the space agencies in different countries across the world, the mission of these agencies and their achievements.

 

2. Introduction

 

Presently, about 70 different space agencies exist in different countries that are owned by Government. Out of these 70 agencies, six government space agencies have satellite launch and recovery facilities. These include National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Russian Federal Space Agency (RFSA or Roscosmos), European Space Agency (ESA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), China National Space Administration (CNSA) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Further, out of these six agencies, RFSA, CNSA and NASA are capable of human spaceflight currently.

 

3.Space Agencies in the World

 

3.1 National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is the space agency of United State’s government that was established in 1958 by Dwight Eisenhower. The Agency primarily focuses on understanding the Earth, exploring solar system and other bodies in space, aeronautics and aerospace research.

 

Some of the major space flight projects of NASA are as follows:

 

3.1.1 Mission Juno: The project was launched with the mission to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter that would improve our understanding of the origin of solar systems. The Juno mission is the second spacecraft designed under NASA’s New Frontiers Program. The mission was launched on August 5, 2011; arrived on Jupiter in July, 2016 and Spacecraft will orbit Jupiter for 20 months (37 orbits). The main objectives are to understand the temperature, composition, water content, cloud motions and other properties of Jupiter’s atmosphere besides magnetic and gravitational fields of Jupiter. The mission shall end on February, 2018.

Figure 2: Mission Juno

 

3.1.2 Mars Exploration Rovers

 

The Mars Exploration Rover mission is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program to carry out exploration of Mars by means of robotics. The Mars Exploration Rovers was launched toward Mars on June 10 and July 7, 2003, which landed on Mars on January 4 and January 25 UTC, 2004 to perform on-site geological investigations for characterizing the rocks and soils that might provide solutions to queries about the presence of water on the red planet. The landing sites include Gusev Crater, a possible former lake in a crater, and Meridiani Planum, where mineral deposits (hematite) suggest towards presence of water.

Figure 3: Mars Exploration Rovers Mission (https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/overview/)

The main scientific instruments carried onboard for the above mission include:

 

A. Panoramic Camera (Pancam): for determining the mineralogy, texture, and structure of the terrain.

B. Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES): for identifying Martian rocks and providing temperature profiles of the Martian atmosphere.

C. Mossbauer Spectrometer (MB): for studying the mineralogy of iron-bearing rocks and soils.

D. Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS): for analysis of the abundances of elements that make up rocks and soils.

E. Magnets: for collecting magnetic dust particles.

F. Microscopic Imager (MI): for obtaining close-up, high-resolution images of rocks and soils.

G. Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT): for removing dusty and weathered rock surfaces and exposing fresh material for examination by instruments onboard.

 

3.1.3 Mission Europa: NASA’s planned mission would conduct detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter’s moon to investigate the possibility of sustenance of life.

 

3.1.4 Mission InSight: InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat
Transport) is a NASA Discovery Program mission that will place a single geophysical lander on Mars
to study its deep interior

Figure 5: Insight (https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ivv/services/ivvprojects_current.html)

 

3.1.5 Ice, Cloud, and Land Evaluation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2)

 

The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) is the 2nd-generation of the laser altimeter ICESat mission that was in operation from January 13, 2003 to August 14, 2010.

 

3.1.6 Landsat 9

 

Landsat 9 follows Landsat 8, with the mission of monitoring the natural resources on earth’s surface. It is a result of joint partnership between NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey.

 

3.1.7 Mars 2020

 

This mission is designed to address the ever persisting question about the possibility of life on Mars and the challenges that underlie human expeditions to Mars.

 

 

3.2 Russian Federal Space Agency

 

Russian Federal Space Agency or RosCosmos State Corporation is the space agency of Russia that was founded in February 25, 1992 and is headquartered in Moscow. RosCosmos is responsible for the space science program of Russia and aerospace research. Some famous projects of RosCosmos are Soyuz manned spacecraft, Salyut 1 space station and Lunokhod 1 space rover.

 

 

Some of their major projects are:

 

GLONASS (group of 24 different satellites) Weather and communication satellites

 

Angara launcher: In November 2013, a full-scale prototype of the Angara launch vehicle was developed that made to the Plesetsk launch pad. The first successful suborbital mission of Angara launcher was accomplished on July 9, 2014. The launch of Angara-A5 heavy booster at Plesetsk Cosmodrome on December 23, 2014 in Arkhangelsk Region, Russia will help Russia build a manned base on the moon.

 

Mars 500 simulation: It is a cooperative project of ESA with the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems (IBMP) in Moscow, called Mars500 that conducts scientific researches to prepare for human exploration missions.

 

Current mission on which agency is involved are:

 

Fobos (Mars mission): This mission was launched to collect soil samples from Martian moon Phobos-Grunt, but it has been trapped in Earth’s orbit since its launch and might re-enter

 

Earth’s atmosphere in due course.

 

Luna (Moon orbiter): is a planned lunar lander mission by the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) to send a lander to the Moon for prospecting minerals, volatiles and lunar water ice.

 

Venera (Venus lander): This is expected to be launched around 2025 to make remote sensing observations of planet Venus.

 

3.3 European Space Agency

European Space Agency (ESA), established in 1975, is an Inter-Governmental space agency under 20 European nations with United Kingdom (UK) being the largest contributor. The main activities include exploration to another planets, human spaceflight, science, earth observation, telecommunication, etc. The main accomplishments of ESA are:

 

COROT: Space telescope

Mars Express: Space probe to Mars

Venus Express: Space probe to Venus

XMM Newton: X-ray observatory satellite

 

3.4 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

Figure 8: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

 

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is Japan’s national aerospace agency that was established in
2003 and headquartered in Chofu (Tokyo). It is responsible for technology development, research
works, launch of a satellite into the orbit, asteroid data, moon exploration and many other advanced
missions. Agency’s main motto is ‘Reaching for the skies’. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is
also planning to launch Human Space Program and developing the Reusable launch Vehicles. Some of
the Earth’s observation projects are as follows:

 

  • Advanced Land Observation Satellite
  • Carbon dioxide monitoring
  • Rainfall observation
  • Global Change Observation Mission (GCOM) series: Global Change Observation Mission – Climate (GCOM-C) s a satellite mission to clarify the climate change mechanism such as global warming, as well as to monitor the clouds and dust in the atmosphere (aerosols), vegetation (forests), snow ice, and ocean.

9.5 Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

Canadian Space Agency is Canadian government body founded on March 1, 1989. The headquarters of the CSA is located at the John H. Chapman Space Centre in Longueuil, Quebec. The mandate of the Canadian Space Agency is to promote the peaceful use of space and develop its own indigenous rockets and launch vehicle.

 

3.6 China National Space Administration

 

Figure 10: China National Space Administration (CNSA)

 

China National Space Administration (CNSA) is the space agency of China headquartered in Beijing. Its primary spaceport is Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. It is responsible for development and planning of space activities and has a small space station of its own. CNSA also carries out periodic launches using its Chang Zheng (Long March) rocket series. China started its own human space program in 1992, and CNSA was formed in 1993. It developed a spacecraft called Shenzhou, which rely on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft design but was modernized by Chinese engineers. China’s first space traveler, Yang Liwei, entered space on Oct. 15, 2003, aboard Shenzhou 5; thus, making China as the third country ever to independently launch a human into space, after Russia and the United States.

 

Major activities:

 

  • CNSA does regular launches with its Long March series of rockets sending various satellites into space.
  • In 2005, Shenzhou 6 launched with the first two-person Chinese crew to explore the capability of life-support systems of Shenzhou.
  • The next mission, Shenzhou 7, featured the first Chinese spacewalk by Zhai Zhigang on Sept. 27, 2008.
  • CNSA’s one-room space station, Tiangong 1, was launched in September 2011 and underwent two robotic dockings with the unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft that November.
  • The crews of Shenzhou 9 and Shenzhou 10 made their own manned dockings to Tiangong 1 in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
  • Chinese Lunar Exploration Programme (CNEP) is one of the major programmes of CNSA. The agency succeeded in making the first soft landing on the moon in December 2014 with its Chang’e 3 lander and its rover, Yutu.

 

3.7 Space Studies Institute (SSI)

 

It is a non-profit organization founded in 1977 in California by Gerard O’Neill from Princeton University. The mission of this institute is to utilize the energy and material resources of space for human benefit; solely through scientific research and educational methods. The research priorities of Space Studies Institute include reusable propulsion system, low cost space access and usage of non terrestrial materials.

Programs of SSI:

 

  • Some of the major programs of SSI are given below:
    Lunar Polar Probe: SSI also funded a design study for the Lunar Polar Probe (later renamed Lunar Prospector), a small probe which scanned the Moon from a polar orbit, searching for water and other useful volatiles.
  • Mass Driver Simulations: Mass-Driver was an electromagnetic accelerator which could be used to move raw lunar material efficiently and economically to high-Earth orbit for processing. It was the first research program of SSI. It could also be used as a reaction engine for moving asteroids to useful locations.
  • Shuttle External Tank: SSI also sponsored studies to examine uses of the Shuttle External Tank as a source of raw and structural material for space stations, platforms, or habitats.
  •  Earth-Sun Trojan Asteroids: SSI sponsored searches for Earth-Sun Trojan Asteroids and developed proposals for the retrieval and mining of near asteroids.
  •  ‘Island One’ Habitats: Dr O’Neill pioneered design studies for habitat of large population, about 10,000 persons; using in-situ lunar materials. This habitat was called as ‘Island One’. Other researches include study of the smallest possible self-sustaining habitats in space.

 

3.8 Space Science and Engineering Center

 

Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) is a research center located in the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Graduate School. It was founded in 1960s by Professor Verner E. Suomi (a meteorologist) and Robert J. Parent (an Electrical Engineer), to observe the Earth’s atmosphere from space.

Figure 12: Logo of SSEC (Image credit: SSEC)

 

It mainly focuses on research studies related to geophysics and atmospheric composition of earth and other planets. Besides, the institute has also contributed in Interactive computing and producing algorithms; image processing, data access for atmospheric processes, weather and climate; spacemachine hardware development and fabrication and weather forecasting.

 

3.9 International Space Science Institute (Switzerland)

 

The International Space Science Institute (ISSI) is a nonprofit organisation, an Institute of Advanced Study established in 1995 at Bern, Switzerland. The main focus of this institute is on earth and planetary sciences, cosmology, astrophysics and Astrobiology; based on multi-disciplinary research, space missions, ground based observations and laboratory experiments. The institute is under a foundation of Swiss law and supported by European Space Agency (ESA).

 

3.10 Iran Space Agency (ISA)

 

The Iran Space Agency is Iran’s governmental space agency founded in 2004. It was ranked 8th in the list of top space agencies in the world 2017. Its headquarters are located at three cities of Iran – Mahadash, Shahrud and Qom. The main duties of the agency include designing and manufacturing research and operational satellites, and promoting peaceful space research activities.

 

Figure 14: ISA Logo

 

Future project of Iranian Space Agency are:

 

Mesbah-2: Mesbah is Farsi term for ‘Lantern’. The original Mesbah satellite was a low-earth orbit store and dump communications satellite that was to be built by Iran in cooperation with Italy’s Carlo Gavazzi Space Centre. However, the project failed due to international sanctions on Iran. Hence, Mesbah-2 was designed indigenously as a communication satellite with an operational life span of three years.

 

Nahid:  The  Nahid  (Farsi  for  ‘Venus’)  is  a  communications  satellite  designed  and  jointly manufactured by the Amir-Kabir University of Technology in Tehran and the Iranian Space

 

Agency’s Aerospace Research Institute.

 

Amir Kabir-1: The Amir Kabir-1 satellite is also known as AUTSAT-1. Amir Kabir-1 is designed by the Amir-Kabir University of Technology, and is to be manufactured by Iran Aerospace Industries Organisation. It is a remote sensing satellite designed to provide post-disaster surveillance (such as earthquakes) and agricultural applications at a resolution of about 80 metres.

 

Doosti: Doosti is a Farsi term for ‘Friendship’. It is a remote sensing satellite being developed by the Remote Sensing Laboratory of the Iranian Space Agency.

 

Zafar: Zafar is Farsi term for ‘Victory’. The Zafar satellite would provide meteorological and water boundary mapping data with a resolution of 80 metres.

 

 

3.11 ISA – Israel Space Agency

 

Figure 15: Logo of ISA

 

Israel Space Agency is a governmental body of the government of Israel established in the year 1983 by Professor Yuval Ne’eman. Its main vision is to explore space and build satellites for space research. It ranks 9th in the list of top space agencies in the world. The space agency’s main focus is on satellites positioned in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) for high resolution satellite data, and communication satellites positioned in the Geocentric Orbit (GEO). Some of the Israel’s satellites in space include:

 

Amos: It is a series of five communication satellites

 

Ofek: It includes ten satellites for intelligence gathering

 

Eros: It includes two high resolution photography satellites

 

Techsat 2: It is a research satellite.

 

3.12 Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)

 

Korean Aerospace Research Institute is the aeronautics and space agency of South Korea founded in 1989. It’s headquartered in Daejeon, South Korea. Korean Aerospace Research Institute ranked 10th in the list of top 10 space agencies in the world 2017. KARI’s main responsibilities include scientific research in aerospace technology, development of satellites, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), rockets and aircraft, besides providing assistance to the government’s policy in the aerospace field. One of the main accomplishments of KARI is successful launch of NARO-1from the Naro Space Center in Goheung, South Korea on January 30, 2013; previously designated as Korea Space Launch Vehicle (KSLV-1). It was the first carrier rocket and launch vehicle of South Korea to achieve Earth’s orbit. Some ongoing projects of KARI are KSLV-2 launcher, Smart Tilt Rotor (UAV).

 

4.Conclusions

 

At the end of this module, the reader would have gained an insight into some of the space agencies working in the field of artificial satellites, launch vehicles, carriers and other domains of aerospace technology in the world. This module is meant to acquaint the reader with these space agencies; and the knowledge base can be extended further to other space agencies of the world. The Indian space agency, namely, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) headquartered in Bangalore, Karnataka; shall be dealt elsewhere.

 

References

  • http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/gcom_c/topics.html#topics6981
  • http://ssi.org/about/
  • http://techimos.com/top-10-space-agencies-in-the-world-2017/
  • http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/satellites/default-eo.asp
  • http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Mars500/Mars500_study_overview http://www.iafastro.org/societes/iranian-space-agency/ http://www.issibern.ch/
  • http://www.nst.re.kr/nst_en/member/03_21.jsp
  • http://www.space.com/22743-china-national-space-administration.html
  • http://www.space.gov.il/en/
  • http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/
  • https://www.geoinformation.com/GeoInformation-dir/korea-aerospace-research/
  • https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ivv/services/ivvprojects_current.html
  • https://www.nasa.gov/europa/
  • https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/overview/index.html
  • http://www.russianspaceweb.com/angara.html