The Government has offered Australia's three mobile operators, and vividwireless, renewal of their existing spectrum allocated on 15 year licences in the late 90s and early 2000s at set prices, while the Government expects to rake in $3 billion.
Some of the slots are likely to be taken by missions previously planned for the 2005-2015 timeframe. For example, the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) project is proving "more demanding" and therefore time-consuming than originally expected, and so it is up for selection as the first large mission in the new plan, probably in 2018.
Initial suggestions for new missions include probing the outer solar system, asteroids, comets and the Sun, while astronomical possibilities include searching for Earth-like planets and charting the formation of stars.
ESA missions are currently at record levels, with 14 currently flying and two more scheduled for mid-2008. The agency warns that this cannot be sustained for financial reasons. In any case, new spacecraft are not being built quickly enough to replace all of those currently active.
"In the last ten years, we have developed faster and better ways of doing things. By using all that we have learned, we will be able to face financial reality and perform the world-leading science ESA is known for," said ESA director of science David Southwood.
David Bass
| ComOps, a leading Australian provider of business software products and services, has won a competitive tender to deploy its Salvus safety, r…
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