Imminent departure from a constellation of satellites, which is closely interested in the French army

It is a launch of satellites which is undoubtedly not as strategic and sensitive as the third copy of the CSO constellation (optical space component), whose deployment at the start of the year was organized under the protection of burst combat aircraft. But it is a takeoff for which the French army also shows a certain interest.

Because the mission VV27, which must leave on July 26, at 4:03 am, will have a particular passenger: a constellation of mini-satellites of observation of the earth. Their particularity? They are cut to produce a 3D map of the surface of the earth. This is also reflected in the name of the project: CO3D, for 3D optical constellation.

Call the world in 3D

As the Ministry of the Armed Forces already indicated in 2021, in an assessment of its activities, CO3D interests it because of the “dual applications” – a formula which designates projects that led both in the civilian and in the military. He is one of the very many satellite projects that closely follows the French army.

Made by Airbus Defense & Space, this constellation of four devices will be placed on a polar orbit, according to a trajectory which will lead CO3D to fly over the two poles. The constellation will evolve at low altitude, 502 km from the ground, so as to generate 3D images of the best possible quality. And this for at least six years, the duration of the mission.

According to the French space agency (CNES), CO3D reaches a resolution of 50 cm for images and altimetric precision up to one meter for 3D elements. Each year, these so -called MNS cards (digital surface model) will reflect almost 40 million km² (the total area of the earth, including oceans, reaches just over 510 million km²).

Almost all of the emerged lands will be scrutinized by CO3D optics: indeed, the constellation will cover the surface between the latitudes -60 ° (northern end of the Antarctica, a little above the polar circle) and +70 ° (overall north of Scandinavia, Canada and southern coast of Greenland, slightly above the polar circle).

« The entire globe should be covered in 5 years, and according to the needs of certain specific users (glaciologists, nivologists, geologists, etc.), certain areas will be re-modeled a few months apart », Evaluates the CNES. In addition to the defense, civil society, start-ups up to large companies, can benefit from it, including commercially.

The CO3D mission will leave from Kourou, in French Guyana, aboard a VEGA C rocket. There will also be another passenger: the microcarb satellite, which will meet scientific and environmental expectations, with tools to measure and map the distribution of carbon dioxide worldwide, for five years.