Jean-Pierre Causse, European space pioneer, 1926-2018

Born on 10 April 1926, in Montpellier, France, Causse was educated at the prestigious Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris. He was a researcher with the Paris Observatory from 1952 to 1955, then worked as a physicist for the Schlumberger research centre in the United States until 1960.

Over the following two years he created and directed a photoelectricity department at Electro-Mechanical Research Inc., a subsidiary of Schlumberger at Princeton. He was then closely associated with early American space activities, developing far advanced ultraviolet detectors for both NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. J

Jean-Pierre Causse joined CNES as Director of the Satellites Division, where he was responsible for the first French satellites, FR-1 (1965), Diapason (1966) and Diadème 1 and 2 (1967). In 1967, he was appointed chairman of the Advisory Committee on Programmes at the Rome ministerial meeting of the European Space Conference.

In January of the following year, the ‘Causse report’ (CSE/CCP(67)5, December 1967, HAEU, Florence, Italy) was produced - a major milestone in European space history. This report proposed a new organisational structure and a space policy that included both fundamental research and applications, satellites and launchers.

In 1969, Causse became Deputy Secretary General of ELDO and Director of Future Programmes. He was responsible for the development of Europa III (technically, a precursor of Ariane) and for investigating the possibilities of European collaboration with the United States on NASA’s post-Apollo programme.

As such, he participated in all the meetings of the European Space Conference's Committee of Alternates, and was a member of delegations to Washington DC to negotiate use of NASA launchers for European satellites.

As ELDO wound up in 1973, Causse was appointed Head of the Spacelab programme in ESRO, and joined negotiations leading to the ESA/NASA Spacelab agreement. During 1973 and 1974, he directed the Spacelab programme at ESTEC and ESRO headquarters until the issue of the tender. At this time he was also co-chair of the Spacelab Steering committee and a member of the NASA Space Shuttle management committee.

Causse resigned from ESRO in 1974 and joined industry, directing research at Saint-Gobain, the major materials manufacturer, until 1989. He retired in 1990.

Jean-Pierre Causse served as advisor to Jacques Valade, French Minister for Research and Higher Education (1987–88). He received a number of honours, was a distinguished member of several academies and chaired prestigious national committees and bodies in the world of science and technology.

He was interviewed in 2003 by David Redon for the ESA Oral History programme, in cooperation with the Institut Français d’Histoire de l’Espace (IFHE). The transcript is available here.