Paper Session III-A - EURECA as a Co-Orbiting Free-Flyer: An Industrial Venture to Enhance the Utilization of the International Space Station

Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA) of Germany and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA) of KSC, Florida are jointly marketing the capabilities of EURECA as a versatile platform for low-Earth orbit operations. EURECA, a re-usable free-flyer with proven performance in space, offers a clean, high-quality environment for long-duration missions to the microgravity, space physics, earth observation, and astronomy communities. The EURECA spacecraft, managed on an industrial basis, will provide a highly cost-effective enhancement to the ISS capabilities for external payloads independently of the station assembly schedule. EURECA will help ensure the success of the station itself, both as a center for research and technology demonstration and as a springboard for long-term commercial investment in space