France has successfully launched the CSO 3 reconnaissance satellite, a major step in expanding its military intelligence capabilities. The satellite was deployed into orbit using the European Ariane 6 rocket, lifting off from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana on Thursday. French Prime Minister François Bayrou confirmed the launch, highlighting its strategic importance for European defence.
CSO 3 is the third and final satellite in the CSO series, following the launch of CSO 1 in 2018 and CSO 2 in 2020, which were both deployed using Russian Soyuz rockets. With this latest addition, the French military will now be able to monitor target areas twice daily instead of once, improving surveillance and reconnaissance operations. France has invested over €900 million in developing and deploying the CSO satellite system.
| Satellite | Launch Year | Launch Vehicle | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSO 1 | 2018 | Russian Soyuz | Optical surveillance |
| CSO 2 | 2020 | Russian Soyuz | High resolution imaging |
| CSO 3 | 2025 | Ariane 6 | Enhanced reconnaissance |
The CSO satellites, developed by Thales, are part of France’s Optical Space Component (Composante Spatiale Optique), a high precision military intelligence programme. According to RFI, the launch occurred at 8:24 PM local time after a three day delay due to poor weather. An hour later, CSO 3 successfully reached its low Earth orbit at an altitude of 800 kilometres.
The European Space Agency (ESA) has praised the success of the Ariane 6 launch, calling it a key milestone for European space efforts. ESA Director of Space Transportation Tony Toker Nielsen stated that the mission demonstrated Europe’s ability to deploy critical strategic payloads, independent of external partners. This achievement comes at a time of strained relations between European leaders and the new US administration.
The images collected by CSO 3 will not be exclusive to France but will also be shared with Germany and Belgium, as both countries contributed financially to the project. With France openly supporting Ukraine, it is possible that intelligence from the CSO 3 satellite could be used to assist Ukrainian forces, especially as US intelligence sharing with Kyiv faces increasing restrictions.
Ariane 6 is Arianespace’s latest launch vehicle, with its first test flight taking place in July 2024. Five more launches are planned for 2025, further strengthening Europe’s independent space capabilities.
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