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ALENIA AEROSPAZIO FORTUNES IMPROVE
by Wolfdietrich HoevelerGiuseppe Viriglio, head of Alenia Aerospazio's space division, can be pleased: "At the end of 1997, we will have an order log of $2 billion. Our main program is the International Space Station. For that, we have signed contracts worth approximately one billion US dollars, 80 percent of which is our own value added. In the telecommunication business, we are developing the military satellite SICRAL for Italy, worth approximately 500 million dollars. Furthermore, we will be supplying a total of 68 GLOBALSTAR satellites until 1999."
He points out that especially the latter contract has a significant impact on the company: "The changeover from the government business into the commercial market has given our company a new push. We have invested approximately 30 million dollars into the GLOBALSTAR production and are currently assembling one satellite per week."
Back to the space station. By specializing Alenia's space division on the development and production of pressure containers, such as tanks for Ariane 4 or the Spacehab laboratory, the company has created a good basis for ESA and NASA contracts in the frame of ISS. Alenia is building three Mini Pressurized Logistics Modules for transport tasks with the Space Shuttle, plus a test unit for NASA and the Italian space agency. The first flight test unit is currently in assembly and will soon be final equipped at the clean room, which is also the current location of the test unit.
Furthermore, the pre-integrated Columbus space laboratory will be built in Turin. A test unit has been in a water tank in Turin since September. There, astronauts have tested the lay-out of the foot rests, and have also trained the dismantling of meteorite protection shields.
Alenia also supplies nodes 2 and 3 for the space station. Should the relevant contracts be signed next year with ESA and Aérospatiale, Alenia will also supply eight units of the Automatic Transfer Vehicle (ATV) for Ariane 5.
All of this together secures business until 2004/2005. Viriglio says that "thereafter we will turn the development engineers into experts for the operation of the space station. With Dasa's Bremen based Space Infrastructure business, we are preparing together for operational phase of the space station. Together, we want to offer technical and logistical services, and want to continue to supply payload and mission integration works." Viriglio is sure that this strategy will secure many of the working places.
The future of the satellite business must be faced also. Viriglio: "We can't stay alone, neither as country, nor as company. The non-commercial business increasingly follows the rules of private enterprise business behavior. A new definition of ESA and the national space agencies is inevitable due to the increasing globalization of the space markets".
He continues, saying that already today Europe, in some areas, is fully dependent on the USA. For example in the area of satellite navigation and in mobile telecommunication (Iridium and GlobalStar). "Europe must make a timely decision if it wants to put up walls or if it wants to look for new markets. Europe must decide between a state industry or private enterprises. The industry can't make that decision."
Viriglio continues, saying that his company has a good contact to Aérospatiale/Alcatel and Dasa/Matra Marconi Space. A cooperation would be possible with either of the two since the resistance in France against a new structure of the Airbus program is diminishing.
Alenia can point out some important core competences. Viriglio: "One of our strong points is space infrastructures with systems for the thermal control. We also have a good experience in the telecommunication business, especially in the Ka-band and with active antennae. In the area of earth surveillance, we can point out our achievements with SAR radar and data processing. Our London based subsidiary Quadrics is the only company that covers parallel data processing."
It hurts that Alenia was left out from Ariane 5 contracts. However, this is mainly the responsibility of the Italian company itself: "We wanted to focus our activities on the International Space Station when the work for the Ariane 5 began. It was clear that with Ariane 5, the French partners would always be dominating and, that there would be more contracts and responsibilities with the space station. Nevertheless, I am convinced that Ariane 5 will become a success and, of course, we would like to participate in that." That's why Alenia is now especially interested in ESA's crew transport vehicle and has recently presented a mock-up for such a vehicle at the international IAF space congress in Turin. This is the future Viriglio is thinking of: "Today, we are using aircraft technology to a maximum extent. That's why we must develop new technologies - on a global basis and fast. Even if we would start the concrete development of a single or multiple-stage spaceshuttle, the first prototype would probably not fly before the year 2015."
Such imaginations are not a matter of course for Viriglio: "Spaceflight is nothing usual, so we should spice up spaceflight with new visions. I see my primary task in generating turnover and profit for my company but, along with new visions for trailblazing technologies. We just need more dreams."
Alenia Aerospazio in space |
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Telecommunication Alenia was the program leader for SIRIO, Olympus and ITALSAT. Alenia has the program responsibility for ARTEMIS (an ESA satellite for the evaluation of telecommunication technologies), for DRS (data relais satellite, a satellite with communication tasks in the European space activities), and for SICRAL (communication satellite for the Italian forces). 68 GLOBALSTAR satellites are being integrated at the Alenia plan. Furthermore, Alenia has a significant engagement for the ESA initiatives concerning multi-media services and satellite navigation. |
From page 52 of FLUG REVUE 12/97
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