ESA to unveil its new science programme
The European space agency (ESA) is to present its new science programme to the press in Paris on 27 May. The new programme follows the announcement in November last year by ESA's Director of science, Professor David Southwood, of the need to overhaul the agency's science programme in response to a cut in space science funding. The new plan has been drawn up following consultation with the science community, European industry, the ESA Executive and cooperating space agencies, as well as intensive discussions with ESA's Space science advisory committee (SSAC) and the Member States represented by the Science programme committee (SPC). The new programme and implementation plan will be given final SPC approval at a meeting on 22 and 23 May. In a separate development, the BBC reports that Arianespace, the company that constructs Europe's leading rocket series, may approach ESA for further financial contributions following warnings from financial experts that it is on the verge of bankruptcy. The Arianespace board of directors has announced that it made a loss of 193 million euros in 2001. Experts blame the company's problems on a worldwide slump in the satellite launching market. The cost of launching a satellite has dropped by almost a third in the past three years. Arianespace is likely to ask ESA to request that its member nations make contributions to keep the company afloat until market conditions improve.