WESTERN EUROPEAN SPACE PROGRAMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-00927A004400100002-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
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• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
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• Content Type: REPORT

e 2006/12119 :CIA-RDP79-00927A00440010000~t3May 1964
~ J ~~~
SPECIAL REPORT
WESTERN EUROPEAN SPACE PROGRAMS
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIG ENCE
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Western Europe has organized two cooperative ven-
tures in the fields of space research and launch-ve-
hicle technology: the European Space Research Or-
ganization (ESRO) to conduct basic space research,
and the European Launcher Development Organization
(ELDO) to develop a three-stage satellite booster
based on the British Blue Streak rocket. The trey -
ties establishing these organizations have only re-
cently come into force, and the French, who have an
energetic, well-organized, national space program al-
ready in being, will exert significant influence in
them. Britain has a limited space program, and West
Germany is just starting one.
The national and cooperative programs are mo-
tivated both by the promise of industrial, scientific,
and commercial benefits and by considerations of na-
tional prestige. The present level of resources al-
located to space activities, however, will not al-
low the European countries either individually or col-
lectively to rival the efforts of the US and the So-
viet Union. Moreover, the rate at which they pro-
gresstoward their more modest goals in space activi-
ties will continue to depend heavily on the support
they receive from the TJS, both officially--in joint
endeavors with NASA, and unofficially--through con-
tinued purchases of US equipment and technology.
European Interest in Space
Nearly two and one half
years elapsed after the launch-
ing of Sputnik I in 1957 before
the Western European countries
began to consider seriously
their potential role in the space
age. The impetus then came in
large part from a belated recog-
nition of the immense repercus-
sions on the scientific and tech-
nical industries of the develop-
ment of highly complex launchers
and space research equipment.
In particular, the Europeans
became aware that an important
part of the progress made in
electronics, in metallurgy,
and in certain fields of chem-
istry and physics in the US
could be attributed to the im-
pulse given by the conquest of
space. They feared that, lack-
ing a similar effort, Europe
would continue to lose its top
researchers and technicians
to the "new world," and that
the "old world" would never
regain its traditional promi-
nence in the fields of science
and technology. The key at-
tributes of national power
would thus be irrecoverably
lost.
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EUROPEAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGAWIZATION
{ESRO);'
(Belgium, Danmark, Franca, West Germany,
Italy, Netherlonds, Spoin, Sweden,
Switzorland, United Kingdom)
SCIENTIFIC
COMMITTEE
- LAUNChIING
PROGRAM
j SUBCOMMITTEE
"Relations with- Universities
and National Industries -:
ESRIN
European
Re earth
Institute
Italy
(Rome)
ESDAC
E ropean
Spec
Data
Center
Wost
DIRECTOR
GENERAL
TECHNICAL
DIRECTOR
-SHORT TERM. PROJECTS -
Sounding rockets (figure indicates-
maximum number of launches--
- .proposed #or each year)
-MEDIUM TERM PROJECTS -'
Smalb satellites in;near-Earth orbits
_ - .Space probes
LONGER TERM PROJECTS '
ADMINISTRATIVE
& FINANCIAL
- COMMITTEE
COUNCIL
(PARIS)
(Australia, Belgium, France, West Germany,
Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom)
COMMITTEE. - FINANCE
OF COUNCIL - - COMMITTEE
- PROPOSED
EUROPEAN LAUNCHER. DEVELOPMENTORGANIZATION
< {ELDO)
SCIENTIFIC
ADVISORY
COMMITTEE
ESTRACK r. ESRANGE
European :- European
Spec - Space
Tracking launching
Stations Range
Sweden
(Ki runo)
TECHNICAL
-COORDINATION
PROPOSED BUDGET
8eleium '
: 4.21
No way -
1 :60 _
Denmark -:
--2.10
-Spain
-2.33 --
FederdF Republic of-Germany-'21.48 -Sweden
4,92
- - Franca -
78.22
-Switzerland
3,.37
- Italy' -
1'0.64
--Ursifed Kirigdom -
25100 _
Cancurtently, ELDO-will "inYestigore future possibilitiesand requi remen
for rockets and range;. ' -
Australio uie of Woomera range
8eleium _ ground confrolinstrumenfdjfou
France` - seaortd stage oflaoncher-
West Germany -' third stage of'louncher--
Itdly.:._ -: experimental. satellite
Netherlands '. ground support
United_Kingdom _. first stage of-launcher
PROGRAM
PLANNING
COST CONTROL
GENERAL
AFFAIRS
DIRECTORATE
ELDO
Design;'devalapmenF, and canstructfon of a sRace vehicle launcher
with pdrticipation distributed .among ELDOrnembership-as follows:
The proposed initial five-ydar-ELDO pro8rdm wduldhpve:a
of $746 million,"allocated as follower
Australia (use of range) 0- -
Belgium SQ:$3?k
France 23:93
West`-Germany 2201
Italy -- - - 9:7$
Netherlands :2:64
Uni ted. Kingdom 38;79
A budget of $3.S.mil li0a,as yet unallocated, hos beeir earmarked
for the proposed-concurrent two-year progrdm.
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ADMINISTRATIVE
DIRECTOR
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In the words of General
Aubiniere, director of the
French National Center for Space
Studies, "space technology
touches so many disciplines that
to neglect it would signify for
our peoples, formerly masters
of the world, a decadence and
underdevelopment and an unac-
ceptable economic servitude, no
matter whence it comes."
Impelled largely by these
considerations, the Committee
an Space Research (COSPAR) of
the International Council of
Scientific Unions, at its Janu-
ary 1960 meeting in Nice, set
up a study group to investigate
the feasibility of a joint Euro-
pean space research and technol-
ogy program. The group's report
Led to other meetings, and
eventually a 12-country European
Preparatory Commission for Space
Research (COPERS) was established
to draft a charter for a multi-
lateral space research organi-
zation patterned after the al-
ready existing and highly suc-
cessful European Center for Nu-
clear Research.
The European Space Research
Organization convention was
signed in Paris on 14 June 1962
by all but two of the members
of COPERS, and came into force
on 20 March 1964. The signa-
tories are Belgium, Denmark,
France, West Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, and the United
Kingdom. Austria and Norway
declined to participate primarily
for budgetary reasons although
it is highly likely that Nor-
way will loin ESRO within the
next year or two.
ESRO's Program and Budget
ESRO's program--exclusively
for peaceful purposes--is built
around the designing and con-
struction of sounding rocket
payloads and earth satellites
and the launching of space
probes.
The proposed short-term
projects will be limited to
studies of the upper atmosphere
in the auroral zone by means
of sounding rockets. The organ-
ization Napes to reach a launch-
ing rate of 65 sounding rockets
annually by the third year.
Beginning in the fourth year
of its existence, ESRO would
attempt to put small satellites
into orbit or to launch probes
of outer space. Longer term
objectives are a stabilized
astronomical observatory in
earth orbit and a lang-life
planetary observatory in lunar
orbit. A manned spacecraft
program is beyond ESRO's re-
sources and level of technology
and is therefore not contemplated
in present planning.
ESRO's eight-year program
calls for expenditures of $78
million in the first three
years, $122 million in the
second three-year period, and
a total expenditure of $306 mil-
lion. Three quarters of the
costs will be met by the UK,
West Germany, France, and Italy.
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The facilities to be established
include: (a) a space labora-
tory and technology center at
Delft, in the Netherlands; (b)
a space data processing center
in Darmstadt, West Germany; (c)
a space reseaxch institute in
Rome; (d) a sounding rocket
launching range at Kiruna,
Sweden; and (e) various track-
ing stations around the world.
ESRO's Prospects
The distinguished French
scientist, Pierre Auger--pros-
pect.ive director general of
ESRO--hay described the scope
of ESRO's program as equivalent
to one fifth the US effort,
minus the US manned spacecraft
program. Although the ESRO
budget will be much less than
one fifth the US space budget,
Auger expects disproportionately
favorable returns through an
efficient use of all available
resources and the incorporation
of advanced technology.
This estimate is probably
too optimistic, but ESR;O could
make a significant cont'xxibution,
particularly if its program is
coordinated with and is'comple-
mentary to the work being done
in the US. ESRO's scientists
apparently desire to avoid du-
plication of efforts, and they
have held several meetings with
NASA to discuss space objectives
toward which the Europeans might
effectively direct their ener-
gies.
ESRO is interested in hav-
ing NASA launch its first two
satellites, planned for the
fourth year of its program. Al-
though further evaluation is
needed, NASA tentatively con-
siders both ESRO I (polar iono-
sphere satellite) and ESRO II
(solar astronomy and cosmic ray
satellite) to be well-conceived
scientific projects, and believes
the orbital requirements can be
met with the US Scout vehicle.
ESRO planning also envisions ar-
ranging, through NASA, launch-
ings from US ranges using the
Thor-Delta booster. For orbit-
ing larger payloads, ESRO is con-
sidering both launches using
the ELDO A vehicle and, possibly,
launches from the US using Thor-
Agena, Atlas-Agena, and Atlas-
Centaur vehicles. It has indi-
cated an interest in locating
a tracking station in Alaska.
These inquiries have in general
been favorably received by the
US agencies concerned.
The implementation and
evolution of ESRO's program will
provide European scientists and
engineers opportunities to in-
crease their competence in var-
ious aspects of space science
and spacecraft technology. It
will not allow them to compete
across the board with the US
and Soviet Union.
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Creation of ELDO
As compared with the ESRO
program, the European coopera-
tive effort to develop a launch-
ing capability has been much
more controversial. Indeed, the
ESRO planners rejected such an
undertaking for their own organ-
ization--partly because the neu-
trals had qualms about the "cold
war" implications of launcher
development, and partly because
it was generally felt that such
an effort would be a wasteful
duplication of US programs.
In 1960, however, the Brit-
ish long-range ballistic missile
program--built around the Blue
Streak, which was developed with
extensive US technological as-
sistance--was canceled after an
expenditure of the sterling
equivalent of over $1S2 million.
In an effort to salvage some of
this investment, Peter Thorney-
croft, then Britain's minister
of aviation, offered to make the
Blue Streak and the British
Black Knight available as a two-
stage launch vehicle for cooper-
ative European development and
use. This generated little in-
terest at first, but the French
were eventually attracted by a
British offer to substitute a
French rocket for the Black
Knight.
These two countries there-
upon sponsored a conference in
early 1961 :from which ultimately
emerged the European Launcher
Development Organization. The
ELDO convention--signed in Lon-
don on 29 March 1962 by Austral-
ia ? Belgium, France, West Ger-
many, Italy, the Netherlands,
and the United Kingdom--became
effective as of 29 February
1964.
ELDO Program and Budget
ELDO's initial program
calls for the development of a
three-stage rocket--the ELDO
A vehicle. As expected,the
first stage will be the British
Blue Streak and the second
stage will be French; the
third stage is to be developed
by West Germany. Italy has been
alloted the design, development,
and construction of the test
satellite; Belgium and the Neth-
erlands will supply ground
stations for radio guidance and
telemetry. Test firings of both
the first-stage Blue Streak and
of the complete multistage ve-
hicle will be from the Woomera
range in Australia.
The convention also calls
for concurrent study of future
launcher requirements, and
after a period of two years the
organization will consider what
new program it might undertake.
This provision was inserted
to placate Italy and West Ger-
many, which felt that ELDO
should not be too firmly bound
to the Blue Streak project.
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Status of ELDO's Program
The Blue Streak first stage
of the ELDO A vehicle is al-
ready at the Woomera range and
is expected to be fired some-
time during May or June of this
year. The second stage is sched-
uled to be fired in September
1965 from France's Colomb-
Bechar/Hammaguir range in Al-
geria. Work on the third stage
is proceeding but has been
slowed by organizational prob-
lems in the West German Govern-
ment and industry, and in ELDO
itself. The difficulty of co-
ordinating the multilateral ef-
forts will probably also con-
tribute to some delays in the
original schedule, which called
for test firing of the ,completed
vehicle in 19F,6. Present es-
timates place this firing be-
tween 1967 and 1969.
ELDO's Military Implications
ELDO's charter restricts
it to the peaceful applications
of space vehicle launchers and
equipment. However, the or-
ganization has no enforcement
machinery to police compliance,
and the possibility is '..raised
that ELDO might contribute to
the spread of ballistic missile
technology.
This issue has already
presented itself to the US in
the form of requests for the
export of propellants, guidance
components, and other launch-ve-
hicle hardware and technology.
Licenses have been. granted for
the export of only a few se-
lected items. However, the
export of ballistic missile
technology occurs "in bulk" via
normal commercial channels.
Multimillion-dollar annual sales
to the Western European nations
include quantities of missile
components and of research, de-
velopment, and test equipment,
as well as the visits of U5
technicians anal engineers to
install, calibrate, and service
this equipment. If these sales
were cut off and the Western
Europeans were dependent on
their own resources, bath the
national and multinational pro-
grams would be delayed consider-
ably.
ELDO's Prospects
Compared with US vehicles,
the three-stage ELDO vehicle
will be obsolete when completed.
It could meet some of ESRO's
advanced program needs, however,
and the desire to promote.West-
ern Europe's self-reliance will
add to the attractiveness of
the ELDO booster in both ESRO
and the major national space
programs.
For the short term, there-
fore, ELDO's prospects are de-
pendent on its ability to carry
through the ELDO A project to
a successful conclusion close
to planned schedule and cost.
To continue after that, ELDO
will have to gain support among
its members for the development
of advanced vehicles beyond the
ELDO A.
Role of European Industry
European industry is in-
creasingly engaged in space-
6
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VEHICLE
DIAMANT'
SCOUT
THOR-DELTA
THOR-AGENA 8
ELDO A'
ATLAS-AGENA B
ATLAS-CENTAUR
Sfoges
3
4
3
2
3
2
2
Propellents"'
nitric acid
solid
LOX/RP
LOX/RP
LOX/RP
LOX/RP
LOX/RP
1st stage
8 turpentine
2nd Stage
solid
solid
UDMH 8 IRFNA
UDMH 8 IRFNA
UDMH 8 N204
UDMH 8 IRFNA
LOX/LH
3rd Stage
solid
solid
solid
UDMH 8 N O4
4th Stage
solid
Thrust (in lbs.)
62,900 ar
66,000 vt sea
170,000 ar sea
170,000 ar sea
299,200 ar
367,000 at sea level
367,000 or sea level
Isr stage
sea level
level (Algol II-A)
level (Thor, DM-21)
level (Thor, DM-21)
sea level
(Atlas D)
(Atlas D)
8D, 000
80, DOD
(Atlas D sustainer)
(Atlas D sustainer)
2nd Stage
32,600
64,000 (Castor)
7,700 (AJIO-118)
16,000 (Agena B)
61,000
16, 000 (ggenv B)
30,000 (Centaur)
3rd Stage
5,600 -11,900
23, OOG (Antares)
2,800 (Altair)
4,950
4th Stage
3,000 (Altair)
plus supplementary booster
{or high-orbit missions
Max. Diameter
4.59 ft.
3.3 fr.
8 fr.
8 fr.
About 10 li.
10 fr.
10 Fr.
(excluding fins)
(16ff. of base)
Height
About 62 Fr.
65 fr.
68 ft.
76 ft.
About 101 fr.
91 Fr.
100 fr.
(incl. satellite)
(excl. spot craft)
(excl. spacecraft)
(encl. spacecraft)
(incl. svrellire)
(excl. spvicecrufr)
(excl. spat craft)
Payload
20016x. into
- 220 lbs. into
800 Ibs, into 350 n.
1,60016x. into
About 2, 65016x. for low
6, 00016x. into 300 n.m.
6,50016x. into 300 n.m.
300 n.m. orbit
300 n.m. or6ir
orbit
300 n. m. orbit
orbit. About 440 lbs. for
orbit
orbit
130 lbs. escape
nigh oroir.
75016x. escape
2, 300 lbs. escape
42516x. to Mars or Venus
1,30016x. ro Mors or Venus
' Dim ns for the Diamanr and the Elda A hove been
converted in round figures from metric units.
"* Key ro abbreviations of propellants:
LOX/RP - liquid oxygen end kerosene
UDMH - un:ymmatrical dimerhylhydrazine
IRFNA - inhibi red red lumina nitric add
LOX/LH - liquid oxygen end liquid hydrogen
N204 - nitrogen retrozide
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age research and technological
development.
tablish a European communica-
tions satellite system program.
In 1960, two firms--the
British Hawker-Siddeley and the
French SEREB (Saciet~ pour
1'Etude et la Realisation
d'.Engins Balistiques)--jointly
produced a study on "Industry
and Space," emphasizing the de-
sirability of unified European
action. In May 1961, these
firms took the lead in estab-
lishing with other members of
the European aerospace industry
a Committee for European Space
Research (EUROSPACE). Partici-
pating in it are other French
and British industrial firms,
as well as members from Belgium,
West Germany, Italy, Norway,
the Netherlands, Sweden, and
Switzerland.
Headquartered in Paris,
EUROSPACE now includes almost
all the European aircraft and
missile industries, the greater
part of the electronics indus-
try, the principal companies in
the fields of chemistry and ma-
terials,and firms concerned with
precision and civil engineering.
Eight US firms are affiliated
members without voting powers.
The organization's first
report issued a year ago called
far a greatly accelerated space
program. It stressed in particu-
lar the development of synchro-
nous and medium-altitude com-
munications satellites, time-
keeping, meteorological, and
propulsion systems and associ-
ated projects; it recommended
further that the European gov-
ernments move quickly to es-
While these are rather
wishful objectives, the members
of EUROSPACE are bound to have
considerable influence on-the
future course of Western Euro-
pean space activities. Although
EUROSPACE will not develop and
implement its own space program,
it does provide a forum in which
the individual member firms can
coordinate their space efforts.
Several European countries
have for some time been intensely
interested in the developing
technology of communications
satellites. The United Kingdom
and France, for example, partici-
pated with NASA in the highly
successful experimental program
utilizing the RELAY and TELSTAR
satellites.
These experiments convinced
a number of European telecommuni-
cations officials of the desir-
ability of regional cooperation
in this field as well. They ap-
preciated that a large number of
ground stations to serve Western
Europe could not be justified
technically or economically,
and they further felt that, in
view of the technological su-
periority of the US, European
interests would be best protected
if the Europeans could speak
with one voice.
In December 1962 the Euro-
pean Conference of Postal and
Telecommunications Administra-
tions (CEPT)--Austria, Belgium,
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Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France,
West Germany, Greece, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg, Monaco, the Nether-
lands, Norway, Portugal, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey,
and the United Kingdom--decided
to establish an ad hoc committee
to study the question of Euro-
pean participation in a global
communications satellite system.
The work of this committee led
eventually to the convening of
a "European Conference on Satel-
lite Communications" in London
in July 1963 and in Rome the
following November. At Rome
the conference agreed that a
new European regional agency
should be created, reconstituted
the conference as the provisional
organization, and authorized its
Committee of Deputies to serve
as the organization's temporary
executive.
The European Conference
and the US and Canada met in
Rome in February of this year.
The US pressed the Europeans to
accept--pending establishment
of a global communications satel-
lite system--an interim arrange-
ment whereby the US Communica-
tions Satellite Corporation
would be charged with the de-
sign, deployment, and manage-
ment of an initial basic system.
The Europeans have indicated a
willingness to go along with
such an arrangement; they lack
the technology and resources to
go it alone, and the US has made
it clear it would set up the sys-
tem on its own if necessary.
The Europeans want assurances,
however, that the interim ar-
rangements will be of a fixed
and short duration and that they
will thereafter have a greater
voice in the system's management
and operation.
Discussions will continue
with the R'estern Europeans--and
also Canadians, Japanese and
Australians--looking toward the
early conclusion of an interim
intergovernmental agreement.
French National Space Program
France is at present the
only West European nation spend-
ing more on its national space
program than it contributes to
the cooperative ventures, and
that program is a vigorous, well-
organized one. Financial re-
sources earmarked for nonmilitary
space research have steadily in-
creased from approximately $8
million in 1961 to more than
$30 million in 1963 and over
$46 million in 1964. From this,
France is contributing in the
neighborhood of $14 million an-
nually to ESRO and ELDO.
These funds are intended
to finance a broadly based sound-
ing rocket experiment program
using a relatively wide range
of French-built vehicles. A
French-built satellite is sched-
uled to be orbited in 1966 by
a three-stage French vehicle,
the Diamant. This booster is
designed to orbit a 200-pound
payload in a 300-mile-high cir-
cular orbit. In addition, France
has concluded bilateral coopera-
tive agreements for sounding
rocket experiments with Argen-
tina and India, and NASA will
launch a French VLF radio-propa-
gation satellite (FR-1) in late
1965.
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The figures below, estimated in millions of US dollars as of September 1963 (except
where otherwise indicated), were derived from documents which reflect both funded and
expended amounts and both calendar-year and various fiscal-year accounting. They are
very rough and intended only to show relative proportions.
France
20.0 *
13.5 33.5
West Germany ',
11.0
14.0 25.0
United Kingdom
4.5
14.5 19.0
Italy
3.5
6.5 10.0
Belgium
--
2.5 2.5
Netherlands '
--
2.0 2.0
Sweden
0.5
0.5 1.0
United States ',
3,700.0 **
Soviet Union
1,500.0
to***
3,500.0
3.0
2.5
* Does not include launch vehicle expenditure by military
or communications satellite ground terminal cost.
** NASA's fiscal 1963 budget. Fiscal 1964 calls
for $5.1 billion.
*** The USSR's estimated annual expenditure rate
as of the beginni ng of 1964.
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France's military missile
program has first priority for
funds and manpower. However,
there is firm evidence that the
military and space programs are
closely intertwined, with the
quasi-governtnental organization
SEREB responsible for both large
missiles and space boosters.
The French are reported to be
developing a solid propellant
grain considerably larger than
would be needed for any known
French military requirement. If
such a component were utilized
in the development of a space
vehicle, it would give the
French considerably more lift
capability than either Diamant
or the ELDO A and would reduce
their interest in non-French or
multilaterally developed boost-
ers.
Britain's Space Program
Britain's national space
program is considerably smaller
than France's, although British
scientific achievement is more
advanced in certain areas. Three
fourths of the UK's annual space
budget of appraximately $20 mil-
lion is contributed to ESRO and
ELDO, the latter to receive
around $14 million.
The UK's major national
program is organized around co-
operative arrangements with
NASA. The UK provided the in-
strumentation payload for a sat-
ellite--UK 1 (Ariel)--which was
launched by NASA in April 1962.
UK 2 was launched by NASA from
Wallops Island, Virginia, on 27
March 1964. In its agreement
with NASA for a third satellite
launching, the UK is moving into
a new phase by assuming responsi-
bility for the design, construc-
tion, and testing of flight-
qualified spacecraft. British
scientists are conducting a lim-
ited sounding rocket program at
Woomera, Australia, their major
launch range.
The UK has competent space
scientists, and has developed ex-
cellent experiments -for its co-
operative satellite program. How-
ever, the government has not sup-
ported an extensive space re-
search program, and there is no
indication that the existing
pragram will be expanded signif-
icantly.
Program in West Germany
The West German Government
has geared its initial space ef-
forts to participation in the
two European organizations, The
greater part of its activity is
concerned with the development
of the third stage of the ELDO
A vehicle. There is, however,
growing activity in other areas
of space research and technology
--particularly the latter--for
which the government has provided
approximately $11 million.
The West Germans are pro-
hibited from the production of
missiles which exceed the maximum
characteristics described in the
Landon and Paris Agreements of
1954. Ttiey are not proscribed,
however, from the development of
hardware which is intended for
civilian and scientific purposes.
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Industrial and commercial
interests, as well as considera-
tions of national pride and
strength, are likely to increase
pressures in Bonn to implement
a more comprehensive program of
basic space research and rocket
development. Nevertheless, the
West Germans will probably pro-
ceed cautiously, not wishing to
raise the apprehension of their
allies and of the Soviet Union,
Italian Space Program
The Italians have concluded
a bilateral arrangement with
NASA for the launching of an
Italian satellite designed to
measure air density at the equa-
tor. The first phase of this
"San Marco" project--suborbital
testing of the payload--is al-
ready under way. The launch
platform is in place off the
Kenya coast and a suborbital
launching from there is planned
for later this year. The second
phase will involve the launching
of a satellite prototype from
Wallops Island, and the third
phase, the actual satellite
launching from the platform,
is tentatively scheduled for
1.965.
This project has placed a
heavy strain on the limited re-
sources allocated by Italy for
space .research, and there has
already been considerable slip-
page in the planned schedule.
Neither Belgium nor the
Netherlands has much of a na-
tional space program apart from
their participation in ESRO and
ELDO. They have, however,
joined these organizations in
order to provide research,de-
velopment,and production op-
portunities for their indus-
trial and scientific communities.
Sweden and Switzerland
have a potential role in the
production of space hardware,
although their present activi-
ties are limited. Both have
small research programs, and
Sweden has been conducting a
small sounding rocket program
in cooperation with NASA.
The longer term prospects
for collective Western European
efforts and achievements in the
field of space research and
technology are hard to predict.
Ultimate success will depend
on the degree to which each of
the participants is willing to
furnish funds, manpower, equip-
ment, and technology, and fac-
tors underlying such a decision
differ for each of the partici-
pating nations.
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Belgium, the Netherlands,
Sweden, Switzerland, and, to a
lesser extent, Italy will sup-
port a ~Yestern European effort
because it holds promise of
achievement beyond their own
individual resources. The ~Yest
Germans are probably giving pref-
erence to the collective pro-
gram for the time being in part
because of the nervousness of
their neighbors; they can be
expected, however, to develop
the relevant technology and
hardware on a national basis
if it is not available multi-
laterally. While the British
have a capability for a national
program of reasonable stature,
they are likely to seek instead
to play an important role in
any continuing 1~'estern European
effort.
It begins to look as though
the French, stimulated by their
efforts in the military missile
field, will elect--as long as
De Gaulle is on the scene--to
reduce their participation in
the European effort and push
ahead with
a domestic space
program
of
sizable proportions.
In
any
event the assist-
ance of
the
US--both offi-
cially
and
through unoffi-
cial commercial channels--
has been, is, and will prob-
ably remain the critical fac-
tor in the success of any
European space pro ram dur-
in~ this d 25x1
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