The Ministry of the Armed Forces intends to deploy a new-generation military observation satellite before 2030, an addition to the 2024-2030 military programming bill that the government will present as an amendment, Minister Sébastien announced on Tuesday. Lecornu.
“Next week I will be able to make a government amendment to the military programming law that will allow the registration of an additional satellite, Iris, of this military programming law without waiting for 2030-2035,” said the Minister of the Armed Forces. during questions to the government in the Assembly.
The military programming bill (LPM), which provides for an endowment of 413 million euros in seven years for the armies, will be examined by the National Assembly starting this Monday.
Two satellites between 2030 and 2035
Two French CSO spy satellites are currently in orbit. A third, which was to be launched at the end of 2022 by a Soyuz rocket, is now “planned for 2024,” the minister recalled. CSO-3 should finally be launched aboard an Ariane 6, the Russian launcher operated from Guyana no longer available since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Up to now, the LPM project has foreseen that the Iris program, which will take over from CSO, will involve the launching of two satellites between 2030 and 2035. As regards secure military communications satellites in geostationary orbit (at 36,000 kilometers of altitude ), the military programming law provides for “studies for the construction of the Syracuse 5 generation,” added the minister.
A second copy of the Syracuse 4 generation, the 4B, will be launched on June 16 by the last Ariane 5 rocket. The LPM, for its part, confirms the abandonment of a third satellite, the Syracuse 4C.
The LPM also provides for the renewal of the electromagnetic intelligence satellites with the Céleste program, which will succeed the Ceres satellites.
Source: BFM TV
