France’s CSO-1 military observation satellite was launched into space on Dec. 19 by Arianespace using a Soyuz rocket. The CSO-1 is developed for the French Ministry for the Armed Forces by French space agency CNES.
Graphic: Thales Alenia Space
The first of three satellites, the CSO will each have a very-high-resolution optical observation instrument built by Thales Alenia Space. They will replace the Helios 2 satellites that are in orbit for the past ten years.