Mr. Richard PAVLICA, President of the Czech Space Alliance (CSA)
1/ Can you briefly introduce us to The CSA and your missions?
The Czech Space Alliance (CSA) is an industry association of, and for, Czech space companies with proven skills and track record in aerospace business, and with broad international client base. The alliance was established in 2006 to present the skills of its members at national and international events and establish dialogue and relationship with similar associations and space agencies, be they in Europe or beyond; help its members to develop business relationship with potential partners in other European Space Agency members states and beyond. Important part of our mission is to represent and to promote the interests of the space industry to the national decision makers, the media and other relevant associations or entities; co-operate with the ministries and all other official entities supporting space activities in the formulation of space policy and creation of suitable conditions for the growth of the space industry.
2/ What are your priorities for the Czech Presidency?
Czech Space Alliance main role is to promote Czech Space Industry Capabilities during Czech Presidency and support picture of Czech Republic as state of highly skilled and educated people. CSA represents Czech Space industry and its successes at all main events in Europe such as IAC, EU Space Week or Space Tech. Another target is promotion of Czech EU Presidency within Space community around world through CSA traditional presence at international events as in JAPAN or SAE.
3/ Could you present the perspectives of development? And the different sector concerned? Could you take some examples?
CSA covers by its members practically all sectors of Space applications. Beginning of Czech industry involvement to Space applications were single component and services even at excellent level.
BBT_Calomel based Glan-Foucault polarizer for infrared region
Good example is infrared polarization optics based on the world unique calomel crytals developed at BBT-Materials Processing or new polymeric material development performed by TOSEDA such pastes and pads for NEOSAT with very high thermal conductivity, and transparent polyimide films for thermo-optical applications.
TOSEDA Foto – Testing of TOSEDA thermally conductive paste at TAS France
Electronics manufacturing is another remarkable industrial sector: Space missions as JUCIE or Solar Orbiter contained electronics made by CSRC division of BD SENSORS for more than 25 years.
By the time, members of CSA increased competences and increase complexity of their products and involvement to supply chain of the most important Space players in the world such as Thales Alenia Space (TAS) or Airbus Defence and Space. Good example is cooperation of CSA member Frentech Aerospace with TAS France on development and supply of hinges for solar panel of Iridium NEXT.
Frentech_hinge
Czech industry is not only manufacturing but also design activities represented f.e. by CSA member L.K.Engineering whose design activities were involve in plenty of Space projects for last 10 year as current design of Magnetic diverter for Athena mission.
CSA role is to promote communication between all our members what brings closer cooperation of companies and also new challenges not only within Alliance.
Another role of CSA is very close interaction with Czech Delegation to organize support to promising ideas brought by CSA members.
Flexible Solar Array down scale model
Excellent example of such a successful cooperation of CSA members very effectively supported by CZ Delegation is start of cooperation with TAS France on development of mechanical subsystem for Flexible solar arrays. Original cooperation of 5M as prime with Frentech Aerospace and L.K.Engineering responsible for design on original agreed subsystem perimeter leaded to step by step increase of complexity of work performed by Czech companies, which induced need of additional competencies as f.e. electronic component, which brings opportunity of an involvement of other members of alliance as BD SENSORS with harnesses and connectors. Finally complete structure and mechanism of Flexible Solar Array is developed by Czech companies and due to that concept of Flexible Solar Array was include as the essential part of new TAS telecom platform developed with ESA project NOVACOM II.
This template encourages CSA to promote even more complex products such as subsystem driven by SW to involve Czech SW excellent development capabilities, which are presented by Alliance member esc Aerospace who holds flag of Czech reliable SW for more than 20 years. Good examples are on-board software for STIX (Spectrometer Telescope for Imaging X rays) at Solar Orbiter mission, and other fleets as TRITON-X heavy platform, QKDSat, ExoMars, SWARM, SENTINEL-4, MTG, or MetOp-SG.
First steps to validate this direction were done on Cubesats such as BDSat or cooperation with research institutions out of CSA on VZLUSAT 1. New project ideas appeared based on small system successful cooperation, which are promoted by ESA program of Czech ambitious projects. Within this opportunity there were defined challenging projects inducing cooperation across whole Czech Space society. We are proud that members of Czech Space Alliance are leaders of about 60% of all projects already launched within this program. Outputs of project are supposed to brings commercially attractive final Space systems and applications.
CSA final destination is to be a platform for communication of government with all main industrial players at field of Space application in Czech Republic and built picture of Czech Space Industry as strong and reliable partner.
4/ What are the major challenges for The CSA in the national and international area in the world of today and tomorrow?
The current very complicated international situation brings necessity to change priorities in budget of each European state especially national budget saving are priority. Main challenge is to convince not only Czech government that even if savings in budget are essential, it should not be reduced support of development and high-tech applications, where Space is basic part but on contrary to this use technologies and development to increase efficiency of government processes as well industry and achieve necessary saving, which is possible also in very close time horizon. It is necessary to invest to development and high-tech application to achieve this goal.
Main challenge internationally is to significantly increase Czech Space Industry successes visibility, intensify and expand CSA connections to other European space associations and clusters to be an integral and traditional part of European space environment.
Mr. Richard PAVLICA, President of the Czech Space Alliance (CSA)
