France Awards €50M Contract for Military Space Surveillance Satellite

The French Armaments Agency (DGA) has signed a €50 million framework agreement with Infinite Orbits, a French New Space start-up, to expand the nation’s military space surveillance and operational readiness capabilities.

Announced on August 13, the deal—finalized in under three months—will provide the French Space Command (CDE) with a geostationary orbit inspection and monitoring service. This forms part of the “Space Action and Resilience” (ARES) program, aimed at protecting military satellites from growing threats in space.

The contract covers the launch of a dedicated monitoring satellite from Infinite Orbits’ Orbit Guard range, developed with support from the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) under the France 2030 investment plan. The satellite is scheduled for deployment in 2027.

According to the DGA, the project will strengthen space surveillance, while preparing for military space operations and action in orbit. These developments will contribute to the CDE’s first EGIDE military system, expected in 2030 under the 2024–2030 Military Programming Law.

The DGA noted that leveraging civil-military New Space innovation enables faster capability building to address the increasingly contested nature of space.