Following the launch of CSO-1 in December 2018, the CSO-2 military observation satellite was successfully launched today by Arianespace using a Soyuz rocket from the Guiana Space Center, European Spaceport in Guiana French. Featuring a high-resolution optical instrument built by Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture company between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), the satellite was developed by Airbus Defense and Space as a flagship contractor for the Armed Forces General Command (DGA), with the French space agency CNES as the delegated contracting authority.
CSO, the optical space part
Developed within the scope of MUSIS (Space-based International Image System for surveillance, review and observation), the CSO (Composante Spatiale Optique) family includes three observation satellites in the Sun orbit -synchronous, each with a very high resolution optical instrument. . This system, which came after Helios 2, is aimed at French defense applications, and will help increase the country’s intelligence and operational support capabilities. Featuring a higher resolution image than the previous generation, the instrument works day and night, and also offers more flexibility to take successful images of emergency zones. In addition, it can provide a larger number of photos taken in a single pass over a specific zone.
Thales Alenia Space provides the ultra-high resolution optical instrument for all three CSO satellites, as it did for all six satellites in the Helios 1, Helios 2 and Pleiades families.
The company also developed key equipment, including the solar arrays, high-throughput image telemetry, the encryption / decryption modules for up and down connections as well as telemetry, tracking and command transponders.
The most powerful space camera ?? never built in Europe
The CSO instrument offers major improvements over Helios 2, including new detectors in the visible and infrared bands, more integrated video electronics, a new cooling system for the infrared channel and a new ceramic frame for the telescope to ensure exceptional stability. Robust, reliable and stable, the high-resolution optical instrument on CSO satellites can capture racial images of scenes despite the highly critical orbital environment, traveling at 25,000 km / h from the orbit of the Low Earth.
?? Today we are celebrating the release of CSO-2, featuring the space camera ?? most powerful ?? ever built in Europe, ?? said Hervé Derrey, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space. ?? We are very proud to have built its telephoto lens and electronics, the brains of the satellite. To develop this instrument, we asked for the full amount of our experience in the construction of optical instruments for the six satellites in the families of Helios 1, Helios 2 and Pleiades, allowing us to build an instrument offered with unparalleled performance. ??
This year has been a huge success for Thales Alenia Space ?? said Massimo Comparini, Head of the Observation, Research and Navigation industry at Thales Alenia Space. ?? Having won five contracts for Europe’s major environmental monitoring program, the Copernicus Extension, including three major, one contracts to build two COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellites, we close out the year on a high note with this elegant publication. The CSO-2 instrument is the latest state in high-end optical payloads for information and security operational support. ??
FINALLY THE SPIRIT OF ALENIA
Drawing on more than 40 years of experience and a unique blend of skills, knowledge and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, research, science and orbital infrastructure. Governments and private business alike are counting on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide connections and position anytime, anywhere, monitor our planet, strengthen governance its resources, and examining our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better and more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space is also teaming up with Telespazio to create the top companies ?? Space Alliance, which offers full services. Thales Alenia Space generated accumulated revenues of approximately 2.15 billion euros in 2019 and has approximately 7,700 employees in nine countries. www.thalesaleniaspace.com
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