Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space will build two IRIS observation satellites to progressively replace France’s three current CSO satellites.
France’s Directorate General of Armament has awarded the IRIS contract to Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space. Breaking Defense put the contract’s value at €1.5 billion (about $1.7 billion); Airbus described the value for the consortium as more than €1.5 billion.
The new satellites are intended to progressively replace the three operating satellites in the Optical Space Component, or CSO, military observation system. The first CSO satellite launched in December 2018 and the third in March 2025.
Airbus says the contract covers development, manufacturing and testing of both satellites, the ground systems used to control them and use their images, and operations and maintenance in orbit.
As lead contractor, Airbus will supply both satellite platforms, a significant share of the first satellite’s payload—the equipment it carries for its mission—and the ground segment. Airbus says co-contractor Thales Alenia Space will provide critical parts of the first payload, develop the second satellite’s payload and contribute to the ground segment. Thales says it will develop imaging systems for the first satellite and the observation instrument for the second.
Thales says the first IRIS satellite will replace CSO-1 and CSO-2 to maintain France’s ability to gather intelligence from images taken in space. After the last CSO satellite reaches the end of its operational life, the second IRIS satellite will significantly improve image resolution, the company says.
Airbus says IRIS aims to produce better images and make them available faster. Thales says infrared technology will allow its instruments to capture extremely high-resolution images anywhere on Earth in low light and at night. Airbus says the predecessor system also takes visible and infrared images by day and night.
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Alain Fauré, head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space, says the contract contributes to France’s sovereignty and strategic autonomy and strengthens its space-based optical-imaging supply chain.
The procurement agency targets operational service for the first IRIS satellite by 2033 and expects both satellites to be in orbit by 2035.
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