2.1 The Project Organisation

ISO resulted from a proposal made to ESA in March 1979, [159]. After a number of studies (Assessment, 1979, [86]; Pre-Phase A, 1980, [88]; Phase A, 1982, [89]), ISO was selected in 1983 as the next new start in the ESA Scientific Programme. Following a `Call for Experiment and Mission Scientist Proposals' in July 1984, [13], the four scientific instruments were selected in June 1985. The satellite design and main development phases started in 1986 and 1988, respectively with Aerospatiale (Cannes, F, now Alcatel) as prime contractor. The industrial team numbered 32 companies, including DASA (D, now part of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, EADS) responsible for the Payload Module, Linde AG (D) for the helium sub-system, Aerospatiale (F) for the telescope, CASA (E, also part of EADS now) for the Service Module structure, thermal aspects and harness, and Fokker (NL) for the attitude and orbit control system.

Figure 2.1: ISO project organisation.

The overall project organisation is shown in Figure 2.1. Central to this organisation was the ESA Project Team which was located at ESA's European Research and Technology Centre, ESTEC, in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. This project team, part of the ESA Scientific Projects Department in the Directorate of Scientific Programmes, was responsible for the management of the development, launch and in-orbit commissioning of the satellite. The team was headed by the Project Manager, initially Derek Eaton (from January 1984 until December 1986), succeeded at the start of the industrial phase by Johan A. Steinz, who was supported by:

• S. Ximénez de Ferrán - System and Spacecraft Manager
• M. Anderegg - Payload and Operations Manager
• K. Leertouwer - Assembly, Integration and Test Manager
• M. von Högen - Product Assurance Manager
• A. Linssen - Project Control and Administrative Manager
• A. Robson - Ground Segment Manager

The ESA Astrophysics Division, headed by Brian G. Taylor, of the Space Science Department (now Research and Scientific Support Department), was the home of the ISO Project Scientist Martin F. Kessler, who had an overseeing role of the ISO Development Phase and assumed this responsibility after the in-orbit Commissioning Phase, when the spacecraft operations were delegated to ESOC (Darmstadt, Germany and Villafranca, Spain).

Both the USA and Japan had great interest in using ISO. As a result, ESA made special agreements with NASA (USA's National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ISAS (Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences): NASA provided the second ground station and ISAS supported the flight operations; in return, NASA and ISAS were each allotted a half hour per day of ISO's time for use by their scientists.