France has awarded Airbus Defence and Space and French company Unseenlabs the contract for the CASSIOPÉE program, which will renew the country's space-based military intelligence capability. The contract was announced by the French Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, Catherine Vautrin, on the sidelines of the International Space Summit in Paris.
The program aims to replace, by 2032, the satellites of the CERES constellation and maintain an operational space-based signals intelligence (SIGINT) capability, introducing improvements in technical performance and operational response. SIGINT technology enables the detection, characterization, and tracking of transmitters that may pose threats to areas of strategic interest and theaters of operations.
Airbus will be responsible for system integration, the ground segment and control center, and the supply of satellites based on the cutting-edge S250 platform. Unseenlabs will contribute its expertise in mission planning and ground and onboard processing, as well as providing a ground segment and a new payload.
Alain Fauré, head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space, stated that the contract contributes to France's sovereignty and strategic autonomy, confirming the vitality of the French space ecosystem. Clément Galic, CEO of Unseenlabs, highlighted that the program represents a synergy between the two companies to equip France with a sovereign, high-performance space SIGINT system.
