Acrean Center for Aerospace Research

Acrean Center for Aerospace Research

Akrienske Rymdforschungscentrum
Abbreviation	ARC
Formation	1949
Headquarters	Trier, Steiermark, Acrea
Official language	German Nordic
Administrator	Jos Vahlen
Primary spaceport	Köniz-Sterzing Space Centre
Budget	₤25.4 billion

The Acrean Center for Aerospace Research (ARC) is an agency of the Acrean government responsible for maintaining the Acrean space programme, as well as conducting space and aeronautical research. It is a successor to the Acrean Aeronautical Research Board created in 1921. Although originally conceived and operated as a purely civilian agency, extensive cooperation with the military has led to it having a substantial component of military personnel and researchers.

ARC's programmes included manned spaceflight, unmanned exploration missions, advanced aircraft research, unmanned aircraft testing, satellite launch and maintenance, spacecraft and launch vehicle engineering, and communications. Since 2010, key programmes for the agency have been the development of reusable launch vehicles of various payload capabilities, construction of a satellite internet network, and upgrades to Acrea's existing navigation and telecommunications satellite constellations including CGNS, the global satellite navigation system launched by Acrea in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Activities and Programmes

CGNS

Since the late 1970s ARC has been responsible for the maintenance and upgrading of CGNS, the global satellite navigation system launched by Acrea in the late 1970s to provide accurate, encrypted positioning data for the Acrean military. The system was opened to civilian and foreign use in the late 1980s with reduced accuracy and the ability for the Acrean government to selectively deny access to or degrade the service, but is widely available to be used by any device which possesses a CGNS receiver without the need to transmit data to the satellite network. Although ARC participated in the construction and maintenance of the system since its inception, it shared responsibility alongside the Acrean Air Force until sole responsibility was given to ARC in 1998. Since then, ARC has devoted substantial effort and resources into continuously upgrading the network for both Acrean military and commercial use and achieving a reported accuracy of 1 cm for military receivers in 2020, with commercial receivers capable of 30cm in modern devices.

ESR Launch Vehicle Fleet

An ESR I launch in 2018.

Since 2008, ARC has been extensively involved in the development of a new fleet of partially reusable heavy launch vehicles to support future projects by reducing the cost of launching satellites, spacecraft, and components into orbit. First announced in 2003, the project has resulted in the ESR line of launch vehicles which saw their first launch in 2009 and the first successful demonstrations of first-stage recovery in 2014. Regular operation of the rockets began in 2016 with the ESR I launch vehicle, with the larger ESR II capable of launching nearly three times the payload becoming operational in 2019.

The inaugural operational flight of the ESR II in 2020.

NAVI

An Acrean soldier using a mobile GUNGNIR terminal connected to NAVI.

In 2015, ARC began development of a satellite internet network called NAVI in cooperation with several private Acrean telecommunications and tech firms. The intention behind the project was, as stated, for two goals- the first was to allow global satellite internet access to public services and the military, while the second was envisioned as allowing Acrean firms to leverage the network to provide new services to consumers. The system would allow for relatively high-speed, high-bandwidth internet connectivity globally, especially in rough, rural, or wild terrain where there is poor or no internet access available. The system is capable of operating on individual devices in conjunction with ground transceivers, as well as being accessed by relatively compact terminals, with signals able to be received from antennae mounted nearly anywhere with open sky including on moving vehicles. While negotiations for its use as a commercial system are ongoing, with some beta testing ongoing with firms for its appeal to consumers, the system is considered to be highly desirable for emergency services and the military. Since the launch of the first satellites in 2018, the system has seen substantial use by Acrean wilderness authorities such as Search-And-Rescue teams, and NAVI has begun the process of being integrated into the Acrean military's GUNGNIR battlefield management system after successful tests with all three branches in 2020.