Double Star announcement of opportunity for the Double Star mission
23 June 2003
The European Space Agency solicits the scientific community to further increase the scientific return of the Double Star programme.The Double Star Programme is a collaborative programme between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) to study the relation between the Sun and the Earth. The mission is made of two spacecraft, one equatorial (550 x 66 970 km, 28.5 deg. inclination) and one polar (700 x 39 000 km, 90 deg. inclination) to be launched in December 2003 and June 2004 respectively. The orbits of Double Star have been selected to maximise the conjunctions with the ESA Cluster mission.
Eligibility to propose for the Guest Investigator Programme covered by this AO is limited to scientists from ESA Member States. Proposals will be evaluated by a review board appointed by ESA, and selection will be made by ESA's Director of Science. Selection will be based on intrinsic scientific merit and potential to enhance the scientific achievement of the Double Star mission.
The timetable foreseen for submission of proposals:
| Date Announcement of Opportunity issued | 5 June 2003 |
| Deadline for Letter of Intent | 15 July 2003 |
| Deadline for Proposal submission | 1 September 2003 |