By Paul Rincon
Science reporter, BBC News, Glasgow
Leading lights in the space business are meeting at the 2008 International Astronautical Congress in Glasgow, UK.
MONDAY 29 SEPTEMBER: HEADS OF AGENCIES
All the heads of agencies have gathered to discuss the state of play in space.
Mike Griffin, the boss of Nasa is here; as is Esa's Jean-Jacques Dordain; Russia's deputy Alexander Medvedchikov; Sun Laiyan from China; and Japan's Keji Tachikawa.
Their thoughts as they deliver them: Mike Griffin says he Nasa selects Mars climate mission ...
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Latest news - 09-07-2008 ... is asked often whether the US will end its commitment to the space station in 2015. His answer is "I can't imagine that happening".
From the Moon, the US will go to the near-Earth asteroids and then to Mars.
"Things are going quite well" on the shuttle replacement, Ares-Orion, says Mr Griffin, despite what people read on "certain internet blogs".
Nasa is getting the backing it needs in Congress. "I feel quite secure in looking forward to our future."
Jean-Jacques Dordain says that Europe has stepped up in space. After the launch of its space station science lab Columbus, it has gone from "a partner on the ground to one in space".
He's saluted the performance of the space station freighter, the ATV, and says the atomic clock in the satellite Giove B is working well. Giove B is the demonstrator spacecraft for Europe's answer to GPS.
He thanks the US and Russia for their cooperation on Herschel and Planck, two space telescopes to be launched next year. They will "bring us closer to the origin of the Universe", he says.
Next to speak: Alexander Medvedchikov - deputy head of the Russian federal space agency (Roscosmos).
He also talks about satellite navigation. An important decision on the financing of Glonass (the Russian sat-nav) was recently made. Three satellites will launch soon, providing full coverage of Russian territory. By the end of next year, Russia will have the full orbital constellation and maybe even some backup satellites.
On the recent decision of the US Congress to allow Nasa to buy Soyuz capsules to fly to the ISS after the retirement of the shuttle, he says it's important news. "We want a space station that is deployed and full."
The most important projects in the years to come, says Mr Medvedchikov, are the new generation of space transportation systems. Russian may build one with the Europeans.
Japan's Keji Tachikawa says his agency, Jaxa, will be launching satellites for environmental and disaster-monitoring. One highlight next year will be Japan's ISS re-supply vehicle. It's a slightly smaller ship than the European ATV.
He salutes the support given to Jaxa by the Japanese government.
Sun Laiyan - the administrator of the Chinese space agency - updates us on Shenzhou. The astronauts have returned home safely. Chang'e, China's Moon orbiter, has completed a "a full global image" of the lunar surface, he adds.
China launched two disaster-monitoring satellites in September. They are part of a constellation of eight. Next year, China will launch a satellite with synthetic aperture radar, the type of radar instrument that Europe's Envisat and ERS spacecraft have used to great effect to deliver height and mapping data.
In March this year, China signed an agreement with Russia on a Mars exploration initiative. The satellite is due to be launch next year, says the China administrator.
Flush from the success of Shenzhou, he says elements of a space station will be in orbit by 2011; and that there will be a robotic landing on the Moon by 2013.
Steve MacLean, president of the Canadian space agency, congratulates the private SpaceX company on its first successful launch last night (SpaceX is run by the internet billionaire Elon Musk; his commercial business could be ferrying astronauts to the space station one day). Maclean also congratulates China on its Shenzhou spacewalk.
Mike Griffin is asked whether the astronauts that return to the Moon in 2020 will be American. He replies: "That is still to be determined".
(BBC)
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