https://spacewatch.global/tag/france/ AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE ON SPACE Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:47:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://spacewatch.global/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/SpaceWatchGlobal-Sign-90x90.png https://spacewatch.global/tag/france/ 32 32 https://spacewatch.global/2026/04/spacewatchgl-opinion-pax-germanica/ Thu, 30 Apr 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=73360
Written by Gilles Rabin
France strengthens its sovereign military model. Germany builds Europe's strongest conventional force inside NATO. The divergence couldn't be clearer - and it's reshaping the future of European defence space from FCAS to SatComBw 4.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2024/07/space-foundation-reports-7-4-global-space-economy-growth/ Fri, 19 Jul 2024 06:00:15 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=56165 Space Foundation has reported the size of the 2023 global space economy to be $570 billion in 2023, an increase of 7.4% from 2022’s revised sum of $531 billion, a total that represents the continued growth of the industry in the public and private sectors. This growth is consistent with the industry’s five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3% and is nearly double the size of the space economy a decade ago.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/11/italy-germany-and-france-sign-joint-statement-on-the-future-of-launcher-exploitation/ Wed, 23 Nov 2022 07:00:48 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=45001 Minutes before the opening ceremony that inaugurated the 22nd ESA's Council Ministerial, this year held in Paris, Italy, Germany and France signed a joint statement regarding the future of launcher exploitation within the Union. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/10/spacewatchgl-opinion-italys-strategy-and-position-at-the-next-esas-cm-22/ Fri, 21 Oct 2022 08:00:20 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=44146 The space sector has completely changed in the past few years. France is now the driving force behind the European space sector (albeit more for its purposes rather than for shared European goals), and Germany, apparently distracted by national rearmament, is still determined to defend its ambitions, so as not to completely leave the ground to Paris. In the face of all this, what is Italy’s position? Further apart, it appears.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2022/10/isar-contracts-share-my-space-to-protect-orbital-environment-during-launches/ Thu, 20 Oct 2022 06:00:08 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=44133 French startup Share My Space, won a contract to provide real-time space traffic mapping for the first three flights of Isar Aerospace’s launch vehicle Spectrum, Share My Space said. The first test flight of the Spectrum launch vehicle is planned for 2023.  Isar Aerospace chose Share My Space over other solutions as its optical sensors allow for great flexibility and real autonomy.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/06/arianespace-resumes-preparations-for-vegas-upcoming-mission/ Wed, 03 Jun 2020 05:00:11 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=23107 The launch campaign has resumed for Arianespace’s next mission, which will be the proof-of-concept flight with the Vega launcher’s “ride-share” configuration – known as the Small Spacecraft Mission Service (SSMS).]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/05/france-delivers-nisp-instrument-for-europes-euclid-space-mission/ Fri, 22 May 2020 05:00:10 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=22752 After more than 10 years of design, fabrication and testing, the NISP (Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer) instrument was delivered to ESA on Tuesday 19 May to be installed inside the telescope of the European Euclid astrophysics mission.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/05/irgc-space-command-chief-says-iran-plans-to-put-a-satellite-in-geostationary-orbit/ Wed, 13 May 2020 05:00:51 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=22453 Iran is planning to develop and launch a satellite into geostationary orbit (GEO) – at an altitude of 36,000 kilometres – for the economic benefit of the country, according to Brigadier Ali Jafarabadi, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Space Command.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/05/arianespace-to-resume-its-launch-campaigns-at-the-guiana-space-center/ Fri, 01 May 2020 05:00:21 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=22089 Following the measures presented by the French government on 28 April 2020 as part of the gradual resumption of activity planned from 11 May, and the announcement of a restart of operational activities at the Guiana Space Center, Arianespace confirms its following launch objectives:]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/04/irans-military-satellite-launch-full-of-surprises/ Thu, 23 Apr 2020 05:00:30 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=21858 Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had launched a military satellite on the morning (Iranian time) of 22 April 2020 on board a previously unknown satellite launch vehicle the IRGC calls Qassed.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/04/airbus-will-support-france-and-india-to-monitor-climate-change-with-trishna/ Wed, 22 Apr 2020 05:00:51 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=21790 The Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) announced on 20 April 2020 that it had recently signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space for the development and manufacture of the thermal infrared instrument for the TRISHNA satellite.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/04/spacewatchgl-opinion-public-health-in-space-hygiene-over-hardware/ Tue, 14 Apr 2020 11:00:19 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=21482 This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/04/spacewatchgl-op-ed-global-space-situational-awareness-needed-to-reduce-security-dilemmas-in-space/ Thu, 02 Apr 2020 11:00:03 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=21183 Rendezvous operations and orbital maneuvers are not new, but the political circumstances and technical possibilities are. Geopolitical tensions are increasingly replacing a relatively calm phase in space and the rhetoric relating to this domain is becoming correspondingly radicalized. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/04/us-think-tanks-release-annual-counterspace-and-space-threats-studies/ Wed, 01 Apr 2020 05:00:11 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=21111 Two leading US think tanks – the Secure World Foundation (SWF) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) – simultaneously released their respective annual studies on global counterspace capabilities and space threats on Monday, 30 March 2020.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/03/armenias-president-signs-package-of-space-activity-laws/ Tue, 31 Mar 2020 05:00:16 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=21074 The president of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, signed into law a package of space activity legislation on 26 March 2020 that amend existing laws and regulations to expand state and commercial space activity in Armenia.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/03/guiana-space-center-suspends-launch-campaigns-due-to-covid-19/ Wed, 18 Mar 2020 06:00:47 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=20706 This content is for members only. Visit the site and log in/register to read.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/03/cnes-gives-go-ahead-for-cnes-isro-trishna-and-space-inspire-satcoms/ Mon, 16 Mar 2020 06:00:36 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=20624 The Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) Board of Directors convened for its 362nd session on 12 March 2020. During this meeting, they gave the go-ahead to engage France in the development of the French-Indian Trishna programme and to pursue activities for the new Space Inspire series of flexible satellites, as well as development of equipment for the spacecraft bus and shared payload.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/03/cnes-president-participates-in-inaugural-aerospace-europe-conference-aec2020/ Tue, 03 Mar 2020 06:00:50 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=19989 The Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) President, Jean-Yves Le Gall, attended the first edition of the Aerospace Europe Conference (AEC2020), held 25-28 February 2020  in Bordeaux. ]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/03/africaxp-selects-eutelsat-for-dth-satellite-services-across-sub-saharan-africa/ Mon, 02 Mar 2020 06:00:43 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=19787 Channel network and content distributor AfricaXP has signed multi-year agreements with Eutelsat Communications for Ku-band capacity on two Eutelsat satellites, positioned at 16° East and 7° East.]]> https://spacewatch.global/2020/02/airbus-pleiades-neo-imaging-satellites-are-on-track-for-launch-in-mid-2020/ Thu, 27 Feb 2020 06:00:00 +0000 https://spacewatch.global/?p=19916 The first two Airbus-built Pléiades Neo imaging satellites have started comprehensive environmental testing to ensure they are ready for in-orbit operation, Airbus announced on 24 February 2020.]]>