ArianeGroup’s GEOTracker network of optical telescopes is designed to track objects in geostationary orbit. (Source: ArianeGroup)
FRANKFURT, Germany — A consortium led by ArianeGroup with satellite fleet operator Eutelsat and image-processing expert Magellium will start work on space situational awareness camera placed on a Eutelsat satellite in geostationary orbit, likely as a hosted payload, or in geostationary transfer orbit as a dedicated small satellite.
The consortium, which includes camera builder Sodern, is one of five that were selected in December to develop different space situational awareness (SSA) systems under the France 2030 public investment program.
The December announcement came before these consortia had signed final contracts with the French space agency, CNES. The ArianeGroup-led consortium announced April 24 that it was the first to have concluded these negotiations.
ArianeGroup operates the GEOTracker 15-site network of ground-based telescopes that observe activity in geostationary orbit. The mission with Eutelsat and Magellium is viewed as a complement to the GEOTracker system.
An industry official in December said the size of each consortium’s contract likely to be around 15 million euro ($18 million) and that the value was in follow-on agreements.
Goal: optical SSA sensors in multiple orbits
The December statement by the French Economics Ministry said the goal is “an SSA data service through deployment of optical sensors in multiple orbits, and the development and deployment of an optical space segment in GTO to augment the existing GEOTracker network.”
This first contract, with a pre-operational phase of just two years, is likely to feature the design of a camera riding as a hosted payload on a commercial Eutelsat telecommunications satellite.
Full development and launch of the mission will require a final decision of CNES to move to an operational phase that would include multiple SSA sensors in orbit.
Arnaud Barthere, head of Eutelsat’s special projects department, said any GTO payloads would be dedicated SSA missions, and would not be telecommunications satellites. He said that if the consortium gets a CNES go-ahead for a Phase 2 operational mission, Eutelsat could have an SSA-camera-equipped telecommunications satellite ready by 2026. He said the company had not yet selected the host satellite.
In an April 24 interview, Barthere stressed that Eutelsat’s goal is not to develop its own SSA expertise independent of ArianeGroup, but to add space-based components to the ground network. He said it’s part of a broader Eutelsat reconsideration of how it can add value to its current GEO-orbit fleet and to the OneWeb broadband satellites in low Earth orbit.
Eutelsat’s merger with OneWeb is pending regulatory approval.
“We will be collecting raw space data and providing it to ArianeGroup,” Barthere said. “We see startups getting into this business and we think that the experience of ArianeGrpup with GeoTracker and Eutelsat’s experience in managing a fleet of satellites, will have an advantage.”
Sodern’s product line includes what it calls “Intruder Cameras”, such as those fitted on France’s GEO-orbit Syracuse 4A and 4B telecommunications satellites, to detect unwanted close-proximity visits by other satellites. (Source: Sodern)
Several European governments, plus the European Space Agency and the 27-nation European Commission, are increasing their SSA capabilities through a mix of civil and military efforts. France in particular has decided to make space-based SSA from geostationary orbit a priority following a Russian satellite’s maneuvers around a French military telecommunications spacecraft.
Two small satellites are now being built to launch into GEO orbit to monitor what satellites fly around French military assets.
Philippe Clar, director of defense programs at ArianeGroup, said the CNES contract is “a vote of confidence in our ability to bring together the very best expertise, provided by partners with complementary skills.”
“Developing sovereign space surveillance capabilities is a strategic priority for France and Europe,” Clar said.
In an April 24 statement, ArianeGroup described the GEOTracker service as providing “high-precision daytime and nighttime positioning and orbitography data [analyzing] space objects in various orbits. The service is fully geared to the surveillance, tracking and collision-warning needs of civil and military satellite operators, allowing them to protect their satellites against all forms of risk.”
“The synergies made possible by the combination of new-generation ground-based sensors and satellites equipped with optical sensors will significantly improve the data collected by ArianeGroup’s command and control center. The processing and analysis of this new data will contribute to the development of space surveillance services,” the company said.
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