FRANCE SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES STATE-OF-ART MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE

Sun 24 October 2021:

France has successfully launched a cutting-edge satellite into orbit, which will allow all of France’s military forces to communicate quickly and securely around the world.

In July 2019, Paris established a space force command, citing worries that rival countries were spending substantially in space technology, which was considered as a new military frontier.

The satellite “is designed to resist military aggression from the ground and in space, as well as interference,” French air and space force spokesman Colonel Stephane Spet told AFP.

The Syracuse 4A satellite was launched by an Ariane 5 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, late Saturday, and the mission was completed 38 minutes and 41 seconds later.

The satellite can survey its immediate surroundings and move to avoid an assault.

“Thanks to its state-of-the-art equipment (anti-jamming antenna and digital transparent processor on board), Syracuse 4A will guarantee a high resistance to extreme jamming methods,” launch provider Arianespace wrote in its mission description.

Russia is accused by the French government of bringing its intelligence-gathering satellite Olymp-K, also known as Louch, into close touch with the French-Italian military satellite Athena-Fidus in 2017, in what Defense Minister Florence Parly called “an act of espionage.”

The United States alleged last year that Russia performed a non-destructive anti-satellite weapons test from space.

In March, French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said there had been other similar incidents since, but gave no details.

Over the 2019-2025 budget term, France plans to invest 4.3 billion euros ($5 billion) in its space program, which is a fraction of what the United States and China spend.

(with agencies)

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