On Wednesday morning, Arianespace launched three French military satellites, the company's 12th launch of the year. At 6:27 a.m. local time, a Vega rocket blasted off from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana and orbited three CERES satellites.
The constellation, dubbed CapacitÉ de Renseignement Électromagnétique Spatiale, or CERES, will enable France to better gather information from electromagnetic sources in space, according to a press statement issued Wednesday by the country's Ministry of Defense.
CERES satellites were developed for the French military and are being built by Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Defence Mission Systems.
Airbus Defence and Space is the prime contractor for the CERES program, which is valued at €450 million ($510 million). Thales Defence Mission Systems is responsible for the payload and user ground segment.
The French government said the three satellites would be positioned approximately 700 kilometers above Earth in low-Earth orbit. This enables France to acquire data previously unattainable via land, sea, or aerial sensors, as well as to adapt more rapidly and effectively to new operating conditions.
The satellites are designed to capture Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) from places unreachable to surface sensors, without regard for airspace overflight restrictions, and in all weather situations. This will enhance military operations' visual situational awareness.
"CERES will enable the detection and location of equipment like radars, radios, or communication means from space, as well as the provision of their technical characteristics," ministry officials said.
The all-weather systems will operate 24 hours a day and will be capable of collecting electromagnetic intelligence from any location on Earth.
"This mission demonstrates the Vega launcher's extraordinary adaptability," Arianespace Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Isral said. Isral claimed the light launcher has already orbited two satellites for Airbus's Pleiades Neo Constellation this year, in addition to nine auxiliary payloads.
France's Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) will operate and track the satellites, while the French procurement agency Direction générale de l'armement (DGA) will oversee the entire operation.
CERES is one of several satellite development programs sponsored by the French military's 2019-2025 military program law, which anticipates spending 646 million euros in the space sector in 2022.
Additionally, the Air and Space Force anticipates concluding its CSO Earth observation satellite constellation next year with the launch of the third system.
The first Syracuse IV system, which will be an improvement to the current Syracuse III system, was launched Oct. 23 aboard an Ariane 5 rocket.
