Soyuz successfully orbits CSO-2 satellite from the Guiana Space Center on behalf of CNES and DGA for Armed Forces High Command

January 12, 2021

Tuesday 29 December, Soyuz accomplished a flawless launch from Europe’s spaceport at the Guiana Space Centre (CSG), carrying the CSO-2 military observation and security satellite on behalf of https://fscience-old.originis.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GLOC_Oslo_Norway_S2_27juillet2022_web-2-1.jpg and the French defence procurement agency DGA for French Armed Forces High Command (EMA). The launcher thus accomplished its 25^th mission from the CSG, its second in 2020 and the seventh flight of the year in all from the base.

As the successor to the Helios 1 and Helios 2 systems, CSO1 is designed to meet France and Europe’s operational requirements in intelligence, global strategic monitoring, geographic intelligence and field support. CSO-2 is the second in a constellation of three military observation satellites that will operate in different polar orbits to accomplish two missions: reconnaissance for CSO-1 and CSO-3, and identification for CSO-2, which has now joined CSO-1 launched in December 2018.

With a total launch mass of 3,562 kilograms, CSO-2 was placed into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 480 kilometres. It will acquire very-high-resolution day/night, clear-weather imagery in the visible and infrared in a range of viewing modes to serve a broad spectrum of operational requirements. It has an expected lifetime of 10 years.

On the occasion of this textbook launch, https://fscience-old.originis.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GLOC_Oslo_Norway_S2_27juillet2022_web-2-1.jpg President Jean-Yves Le Gall commented: “This 25^th success for Soyuz brings the year to a close in style. I would like to warmly congratulate all of the teams engaged in operations for this launch at our partners DGA, ESA, Arianespace, Starsem, Airbus Defence & Space and Thales Alenia Space, at European and Russian manufacturers, and of course at https://fscience-old.originis.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/GLOC_Oslo_Norway_S2_27juillet2022_web-2-1.jpg, whose great technical and operational prowess was once again on show. Well done and festive wishes to all!”