Soyuz Flight VS20

with CSO-1

Relive this launch

More about this launch

Press release: Flight VS20: Arianespace supports France and European defense with the CSO-1 satellite’s successful launch for CNES and DGA

Launch date: December 19, 2018

Payload(s): CSO-1

Launch vehicle: Soyuz

Launch site: Spaceport, French Guiana (Guiana Space Center)

Customer(s): CNES, French DGA

Prime contractor(s): CNES, French DGA

Orbit: Sun-synchronous orbit

Status: Success

For its 11th and final launch of the year – and the third with the Soyuz medium launcher — Arianespace will send the CSO-1 Earth observation satellite, intended for defense and security applications, into Sun-synchronous orbit for the French CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales) space agency and the DGA (Direction générale de l’armement) defense procurement agency on behalf of the French Ministry of Defense.

This also will be the 20th mission carried out by Soyuz since it began operating at the Guiana Space Center (CSG) in October 2011.

With this latest launch at the service of France’s defense requirements, as well as for the capacity needs of several partner countries, Arianespace once again guarantees French and European autonomous access to space – a strategic priority, and a key element for sovereignty.

16:37:14 (Dec. 19): Universal Time (UTC)

01:37:14 p.m. (Dec. 19): Kourou, French Guiana

05:37:14 p.m. (Dec. 19): Paris, France

11:37:14 a.m. (Dec. 19): Washington, D.C.

Payload

CSO-1

CSO-1 is the first satellite of the Optical Space Component (CSO – Composante Spatiale Optique) program, a constellation of three satellites dedicated to Earth observation for defense and security. They will be placed into polar orbit at different altitudes, and will carry out two different missions: reconnaissance for CSO-1 and CSO-3, and identification for CSO-2.

The French CNES space agency is delegated as the contracting authority for the Optical Space Component (CSO) program and its mission ground segment, as well as being the overall system co-architect. CNES also is responsible for orbital positioning, in-orbit acceptance testing and satellite operation. France’s DGA defense procurement agency is contracting authority for the construction and through-life maintenance of the user ground segment, and will serve as the interface between the sensors deployed in space and the operators. The French armed forces headquarters is the operating authority for CSO.

The successor to the Helios 1 and 2 systems, CSO will address France and Europe’s operational needs for global intelligence and strategic surveillance, knowledge of the geographic environment and support for operational deployments.

As France’s third generation of military satellites, CSO was developed in a national framework and will remain accessible to European partners. Indeed, Germany, Sweden and Belgium already have joined the CSO community, and an agreement with Italy is expected shortly.

The CSO-1 satellite will be placed in a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 800 km. It will be used to take 3D pictures and acquire very-high-resolution images in the visible and infrared bandwidths, day or night and in fair weather, and using a variety of imaging modes to meet as many operational requirements as possible.