Reply to the 3rd annual report of the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO)

Resolution 381 (1968)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 25 September 1968 (15th Sitting) (see Doc. 2451, report of the Committee on Science and Technology). Text adopted by the Assembly on 25 September 1968 (15th Sitting).

The Assembly,

Execution of the space programme

1. Having examined the 3rd report of ESRO which that organisation has addressed to the Council of Europe in accordance with Resolution 10 of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries of June 1962 ;

2. Noting that the 3rd general report of ESRO marks the completion of the first half of its initial eight-year programme ;

3. Noting with satisfaction that during 1967 the emphasis was finally shifted from the initial capital investment programme to the operational programme ;

4. Regretting that the failure of a USA rocket led to ESRO's first satellite (ESRO II or IRIS) not achieving orbit in 1967 and that difficulties with scientific experiments led to the postponement from autumn 1967 to autumn 1968 of the launching of ESRO's second satellite (ESRO I), expresses satisfaction with the high and increasing technical success rate of the more and more complex sounding rocket programme ;

5. Noting with satisfaction the completion of the detailed study of the television relay satellite for CETS, of the full study of the LAS and of the feasibility studies for various other scientific satellites, notes also with great interest the start of work on the ambitious satellites TD I and TD 2 whose intended complexity is on the level of the best present-day US achievements in the satellite field ;

6. Noting with satisfaction that in 1966 sufficient experience was gained with the Space Documentation Service to have enabled the transition from the experimental to a more efficient service responsive to the needs of the space community in Europe, regrets that such a step was unfeasible because of the financial climate of 1967, and hopes that in 1968 steps can be taken to extend the service to include technological documentation in general ;

7. Noting that on the basis of the Bannier Report detailed proposals for the implementationof the Council's decisions wereworked out in 1967 giving greater authority and autonomy to the Directorate General, hopes that this will increase the efficiency of ESRO and benefit European space co-operation in general ;

Financial problems

8. Regretting that the ESRO Council did not in 1967, as required by the convention, approve unanimously the level of resources for the second three-year period (1967-69), and chat therefore no decision could hetaken on the scale and nature of ESRO's future programme, notes, however, that agreement wasreached on the 1967 and 1968 budgets ;

European space co-operation

9. Noting that the year 1967 saw a marked growth in the development of relations between ESRO and other international organisations, welcomes in particular the close and fruitful relations which have now been established between ELDO, CETS and ESRO, and between the Council of Europe and ESRO ;

10. Stressing the importance of accelerating the integration of an applications programme with a scientific programme and welcoming the determination of ESRO to prepare for considerable increases in the field of applied research, believes that the mutual support of these programmes would provide greater efficiency in the use of the organisation's facilitiesand research and development capabilities ;

11. Stressing the importance of finalising without delay a television relay satellite, believes that once this has been achieved, application work should expand to include meteorological satellites, satellites for air and naval navigation, earth resourcesatellites etc.

12.Noting with satisfaction the formation of consortia of European firms to bid for ESRO development contracts for satellites, believes that this is a contribution to the building of European technological co-operation ;

13. Noting that so far contracts have tended to go to the most experienced firms in member states, calls attention to the fact that this is liable to increase the technological disparities amongst member countries, and believes that this will be remedied as the result of the acceptance by the ESRO Council of an outline industrial policy which will gradually reduce disparities provided only that ESRO disposes of sufficient funds to counterbalance past inequalities without loss of the necessary degree of competition,

14. Resolves :

to invite the ESRO Councilto work towards a common European space policy in which scientific and application work is harmoniously balanced and in which ESRO and ELDO can work together to mutual benefit and eventually as a unified organisation ;

to invitethe ESRO Council further to elaborate its industrial policy, so that the industrial benefitsof the space programme can be fairly and widely shared and sothat selected specialisation among the advanced industries in member countries may in due course be achieved.