France has ordered two military Earth observation satellites from Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space in a contract worth more than 1.5 billion euros for the entire consortium. The Directorate General of Armament, the French defence procurement agency, notified the order on November 5, and Airbus announced it on November 9.
The system is called IRIS, after the French abbreviation for space intelligence and imaging instruments. It is a French national military programme and is not related to IRIS squared, the European Union’s secure connectivity constellation. The contract covers the detailed design, manufacture and testing of two satellites, the control and user ground segments, and in orbit operations and maintenance, and is scheduled to run until the end of the 2030s.
Airbus is lead contractor: it will provide both satellite platforms, a significant share of the first satellite’s payload, and responsibility for the ground segment. Thales Alenia Space will develop the next generation payload for the second satellite, provide critical elements of the first payload, and contribute to the ground segment. Named subcontractors include Lynred, Pyxalis, Sodern, Safran Reosc and Air Liquide Advanced Technologies.
IRIS will replace the three CSO satellites launched in 2018, 2020 and 2025, which form France’s current space based imagery intelligence capability under the MUSIS programme. The first IRIS satellite is planned to become operational in 2033 and both are expected to be in orbit around 2035, maintaining the capability beyond that date. The system will be operated by the Space Command of the French Air and Space Force, and the DGA said the programme is open to cooperation with partner countries.