Arianespace supports Drance and European defense with launch of CSO-1

For its 11th and final launch of the year - and the third in 2018 with the Soyuz medium-lift launcher - Arianespace successfully orbited the CSO-1 military Earth observation satellite for the French CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) space agency and the DGA (Direction generale de l'armement) defense procurement agency on behalf of the French Ministry of Defense.

The launch took place on Wednesday, December 19 at 1:37 p.m. (local time) from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana (South America).

With this latest launch in support of France's defense requirements, as well as for the capability needs of several partner countries, Arianespace once again guarantees French and European independent access to space - which is a strategic priority and a key element for sovereignty.

Arianespace: supporting France's defense capabilities
Since its creation in 1980, Arianespace has orbited a total of 591 satellites, including 69 for defense and security purposes. CSO-1 is the 42nd satellite orbited by Arianespace for CNES and the DGA. Its predecessors include the Syracuse family of military telecommunication satellites and the Pleiades very-high-resolution space imaging system.

CSO-1 is the first satellite of the Optical Space Component (CSO - Composante Spatiale Optique) program, comprising a constellation of three new-generation satellites for the French Ministry of Defense. They will carry out two different missions: reconnaissance for CSO-1 and CSO-3, and identification for CSO-2.

As the successor to the Helios 1 and 2 systems, CSO will address France and Europe's operational needs for global intelligence and strategic surveillance, knowledge of the geographic environment, and support for operational deployments.

Airbus Defence and Space France is prime contractor for the satellites, while Thales Alenia Space France is supplying the optical imaging instrument.

To date, Arianespace's backlog includes six more missions for CNES and the DGA: CSO-2 and CSO-3; Syracuse 4A and 4B; three CERES satellites, and the Taranis satellite.

After the Helios 1 and 2 satellites (the first and second generation of military observation satellites), the third-generation CSO spacecraft will be accessible to European partners through bilateral agreements with France as part of the MUSIS program. Germany, Sweden and Belgium already have joined the CSO user community, and an agreement with Italy will be signed shortly.

Arianespace also has a very successful export track record in providing launch services for defense and security applications. Japan, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Morocco, Turkey, Thailand, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have chosen the company to orbit satellites that safeguard sovereignty.

Drawing on the reliability and availability of its current launchers, along with the upcoming generation of Ariane 6 and Vega C launch vehicles, Arianespace guarantees independent access to space for all customers, especially European institutions.

20th Soyuz launch from the Guiana Space Center and the third in 2018
As the 20th Soyuz launch since it began operating at the Guiana Space Center (CSG), VS20 also is the second in a series of four flights by Soyuz through March 2019 to be launched from the CSG. The optimized launch campaigns use the Fregat Fueling Facility (FCube) - a building inaugurated in 2015 that is dedicated to the Fregat upper stage on the Soyuz launch vehicle.

VS20 is the 11th and final launch performed by Arianespace in 2018: six were carried out with Ariane 5; three utilized Soyuz; and two with Vega. Arianespace has once again demonstrated its flexibility and availability, with six launches conducted in under three months - from September 25 to December 18 - and four launches at a rate of one every two weeks since November 6.

Shortly after orbital injection of the CSO-1 satellite, Arianespace Chairman and CEO Stephane Israel said: "Arianespace is proud to have orbited CSO-1, a key satellite for French and European defense.

"I would like to thank our French customers and partners, CNES, the DGA and the Ministry of Defense, who have renewed their trust in us today. This first of three Optical Space Component satellites marks the first step in the renewal of France's defense satellite capabilities. Arianespace will further contribute to these capabilities with the launch early in the next decade of CSO-2 and CSO-3, the Syracuse satellites 4A and 4B and the three CERES satellites.

"Congratulations to Airbus Defence and Space as prime contractor for the construction of the CSO-1 satellite, with its optical imaging instrument supplied by Thales Alenia Space. Thank you to the Russian space agency Roscosmos for its commitment to our partnership, marked today with the 20th Soyuz launch from the CSG.

"Thank you to CNES and the CSG, our ground industrial teams and all personnel at the Spaceport, who work with us to achieve new successes. And well done to the Arianespace teams for this perfect final launch of the year and for maintaining such a sustained schedule, with five launches in two months to achieve our objective!"

Related Links
Arianespace
Rocket Science News at Space-Travel.Com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

Arianespace Orbits GSAT-11 and Geo-Kompsat-2A for India and South Korea
Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Dec 04, 2018
Arianespace has successfully orbited two satellites: GSAT-11 for ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation), and GEO-KOMPSAT-2A for KARI (Korea Aerospace Research Institute). With this mission dedicated to space applications for telecommunications and meteorology, Arianespace once again contributes to the improvement of life on Earth. The sixth Ariane 5 launch of the year took place on Tuesday, December 4 at 5:37 pm (local time) from the Guiana Space Center (CSG), Europe's Spaceport in French Guian ... read more