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Old 01-28-2018, 07:18 AM
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Arrow Foreign governments are approaching French satellites in orbit, says space commander

Foreign governments are approaching French satellites in orbit, says space commander
By: Pierre Tran 1-27-18
RE: https://www.defensenews.com/space/20...ace-commander/

Photo on site: Elisa satellites are installed on the Soyouz rocket’s Arianespace System for Auxiliary Payloads. France currently operates the experimental electronic intelligence satellite. (CNES/ESA/Arianespace/Optique Vidéo CSG/L Mira)

PARIS ― France’s joint space commander has told lawmakers that the country’s satellites in orbit have been approached for inspection by foreign governments.

“Apart from development of directed-energy weapons capable of degrading the performance of our capabilities, the mastery of technology for rendezvous in space allows the close approach of space assets of other countries in full orbit,” Air Force Gen. Jean-Pascal Breton said. “Several of our satellites have have been approached in this way by objects of satellite-inspection class.”

The commander did not identify specific countries, but did say the inspections were conducted by “sovereign nations” capable of undertaking these actions.

“Strategies of contestation and denial of access is taking on new forms,” Breton told the defense and armed forces committee of the lower house National Assembly on Dec. 20. The the official minutes for this hearing were just recently published.

He called the capability to detect and identify the suspect of an unfriendly or aggressive act an “essential condition for our protection.” The capability to track exo-atmospheric space activity will be gradually strengthened to allow identification and classification of objects in orbits that are of interest to France, he added.

He praised the current and forthcoming multiyear budget laws for providing a “real effort” in the space domain, particularly toward replacing satellites. The 2017 defense budget set aside just over €300 million (U.S. $373 million) in credit payments for the military space program, an amount similar to previous years. The 2018 budget has earmarked €325 million.

He noted the credit payments will climb with the deployment of new satellites, asserting that it is impossible to provide detailed figures because the next multiyear budget law is not yet confirmed.

France is fitting bimodal receivers on its equipment, using both the United States’ GPS and the European Galileo satellite system to boost resilience, he said.

An abundance of French weaponry uses GPS for targeting, he said, and the Air Force tends to rely on the navigation aid, except for “only certain missions.” No further details were given.

France plans to replace its eight-strong fleet of satellites with the same number in the coming years, with the renewal program starting this year, Breton said. The present and forthcoming multiyear budget law will invest a “not insignificant amount” in the replacement and improvement of capabilities, he continued.

The first in the three-strong CSO high-resolution optical satellite fleet is due to be launched by the end of this year, with the last in 2021, he noted. France is the sole owner of CSO, alongside Germany and Sweden, who have right of access. Talks are ongoing for additional partners.

France operates Elisa, an experimental electronic intelligence satellite, due to be replaced with an operational Ceres system in 2020, he said. A next-generation Syracuse IV system will be put into orbit to handle “an explosion” in communications due to the digitalization of combat systems.

These satellites will be “extremely hardened” as well as carry extra capacity to carry data, he said.

The military officer also told lawmakers France is seeking closer cooperation with strategic partners, particularly Germany, and that “specific themes” will be addressed with the intelligence-sharing Five Eyes countries: Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the U.S. Washington already provides access to certain data from its space capabilities, including its register of debris, he noted.

The next multiyear budget will allow for a focus on updating the capability for low-orbit surveillance, information systems and the study for surveillance from geostationary orbit.

Breton specifically spoke to the importance of international cooperation in space for the benefit of French military engagements. However, he added that there should be a balance between the sharing of information and capabilities and maintaining national sovereignty.

France took 45,883 pictures from space in 2016, 10 percent more than the previous year. The requirement is climbing due to the level of military engagement. An average of 120 pictures are taken each day from space.

“Space is a nation’s symbol of power,” he said. “It is a statement of its scientific, technological, industrial and financial strength. We can only congratulate ourselves that France is a real power in the space domain.”
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Old 01-28-2018, 07:20 AM
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Carbonite-2 satellite enters orbit to test British intel-gathering capability
By: Andrew Chuter
RE: https://www.c4isrnet.com/c2-comms/sa...ng-capability/

LONDON ― A British-built satellite set to be used by the Ministry of Defence to test whether constellations of small spacecraft can provide tactical intelligence has been successfully launched on an Indian-built rocket.

The technology demonstrator satellite, called Carbonite-2, has been successfully placed into low-Earth orbit after it and a communications spacecraft were launched onboard the PSLV rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India.

Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, the Airbus-owned company that developed and built the spacecraft, announced the launch earlier Friday but made no mention of the military interest in the spacecraft.

It said in a statement that initial systems checks on Carbonite-2 had been successful.

SSTL did not return calls from Defense News.

Carbonite-2 is primarily aimed at demonstrating a commercial Earth observation capability, but the MoD is also investing more than £4 million (U.S. $5 million) in the program trialing the capabilities of the system to provide reconnaissance video and still imagery.

The MoD is refusing to confirm it has a stake in the Carbonite-2 program but does admit it has a deal with a commercial satellite provider, who it won’t name.

In November when Defense News reported the existence of the deal, an MoD spokesman said: “We have entered into an agreement with a commercial satellite provider for a capability demonstrator program.

“The program will play a crucial role in shaping our vision for a future constellation of small satellites, comprising a diverse range of sensors and ground stations, and offers the U.K. the opportunity to lead the development of that program.”

The British are not known to have invested in this kind of space program ever since a joint venture with the then-British National Space Centre saw an SSTL-built demonstrator satellite called TopSat launched in 2005.

The MoD is expected to start receiving test data from the satellite in the next few weeks.

The sensors employed on Carbonite-2 would enable the military to film moving objects such as vehicles, aircraft and ships in ultrahigh definition, color video, as well as undertake rapid tasking of satellites and provide fast data download within minutes of acquisition.

The 100-kilogram satellite will demonstrate a low-cost video-from-orbit solution using a commercial off-the-shelf telescope and high-definition video. The imaging system is designed to deliver 1-meter resolution images and color video clips with a swath width of 5 kilometers.

The first demonstrator spacecraft, Carbonite-1, was launched in 2015.

Although the MoD has a significant interest in the program, the principle reason for launching the pre-production prototype is to support a deal announced last November between SSTL and British commercial imagery provider Earth-i.

The current spacecraft will supply Earth-i with data for proving tasking, downlinking and image processing ahead of the launch of a constellation of five Carbonite-series satellites starting early 2019.

Earth-i said in a statement that the introduction of the new technology will give it the first European constellation able to provide video and still imagery.
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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Old 01-28-2018, 07:27 AM
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New missile warning satellite launched from Cape Canaveral
By: Brandon Knapp
RE: https://www.c4isrnet.com/c2-comms/20...ape-canaveral/

Photo on site shows launch: An Atlas 5 rocket carrying the SBIRS GEO Flight 4 mission for the U.S. Air Force lifts off from Space Launch Complex-41. (Ben Cooper/United Launch Alliance)

The Air Force launched the fourth satellite in its next-generation missile warning constellation aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket Friday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The Space Based Infrared System satellite, informally known as GEO-4, is designed to provide the United States global infrared surveillance capabilities in missile detection and defense, especially as tensions continue to rise over North Korea’s ICBM program.

Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor on the SBIRS program. The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments estimated the satellite cost approximately $1.7 billion.

The launch was the second within a week for ULA, a joint venture from Lockheed Martin and Boeing. On Jan. 12, ULA successfully launched a classified spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office aboard a Delta 4 rocket from at Vandenberg Air Force base in California.

The Jan. 19 launch featured an Atlas 5 411 rocket, powered by one solid rocket booster.
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Note by Boats: All these satellites in space along with - years of others - plus the space station - its no wonder that we don't have collisions and/or pieces of these satellites falling into the atmosphere and then onto random countries in the very near future. The last photo I saw showed hundreds of satellites and millions of pieces or space debris just floating around waiting to either burn up in our atmosphere or hit someone or thing
or someone below at any given time?
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O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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