§ Lord Beaverbrookasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the outcome of the European Space Agency's Ministerial Council Meeting, held on 18th-20th November 1991, in Munich.
Viscount AstorThe main achievement of the European Space Agency (ESA) Council Meeting at Ministerial level, held in Munich, was to initiate a new ESA programme for the observation of the earth and its environment from polar orbit, known as the First Polar Mission.
Ministers also agreed to continue development of ESA's Columbus programme, of the Hermes manned spaceplane, and of a data relay satellite, within a slightly reduced budget, during 1992. They will meet again late in 1992 to review the future direction of the programmes approved at Munich.
The new earth observation programme will develop advanced instruments in support of climate research and the monitoring of global climate. It will also support the flight of operational meteorological instruments and will carry forward radar-based remote sensing using synthetic aperture radar. In addition, the programme will address the necessary facilities for data reception and distribution on the ground.
The instruments are scheduled to be flown in 1998 on the polar platform, which is under development within ESA's Columbus programme. The United Kingdom played a prominent role at the council in urging ESA member states to give a decisive impetus to this new earth observation and environment programme. The programme represents a positive European contribution to worldwide efforts to understand the global environment. This is a matter of central importance to current international discussions and negotiations, including the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro next year.