Airbus Defence and Space and Unseenlabs have been selected by France’s Directorate-General for Armament to deliver the CASSIOPÉE military signal intelligence satellite system, with the programme announced in Paris on the sidelines of the International Space Summit. The contract renews France’s sovereign space-based SIGINT capability and is due to replace the CERES constellation by 2032.
Airbus will serve as system integrator and provide the ground segment, control centre and a satellite solution based on its S250 platform. Unseenlabs will contribute mission planning, ground and onboard processing and an innovative payload.
The CASSIOPÉE system forms the sovereign core of the CELESTE programme and is designed to preserve France’s operational electromagnetic intelligence capability while improving technical performance and responsiveness. The deal also expands Unseenlabs’ role in defence beyond its commercial radio-frequency sensing work and strengthens Airbus Defence and Space’s position in European military space systems.