Thales Alenia Space Wins Contract for French Military SAR Satellites

France has selected Thales Alenia Space to develop the payload and ground segment for the DESIR radar sounding space mission.

Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has been awarded a contract by the French Space Agency (CNES) in partnership with the French Defense Procurement Agency (DGA).

The goal of the DESIR (Demonstrator of Sovereign Radar Imaging Elements) program is to develop technologies to create a sovereign French space radar imaging capability.

Military Earth remote sensing satellites are one of the key components without which full-fledged and powerful reconnaissance is impossible.

These capabilities also support critical dual-use applications, including environmental monitoring, crisis management, and maritime surveillance.

The program will build on Thales Alenia Space’s expertise in Earth remote sensing instruments and ground segments.

Innovative consortium

Thales Alenia Space in France, Loft Orbital, and TEKEVER France have pooled their expertise within a consortium, further strengthened by the participation of French small and medium-sized enterprises.

As consortium leader, Loft Orbital will be responsible for the satellite and ground control segment.

Thales Alenia Space in France will supply the payload and ground segment, working closely with TEKEVER France, which will develop the active antenna integrated into the radar.

This partnership ensures that critical components remain under national control and that the associated intellectual property rights remain in France.

The program is expected to be operational in early 2029, after which the mission will last two years, allowing the government to evaluate the technology’s effectiveness.

This is also important for Ukraine: currently, about two-thirds of the country’s intelligence data comes from France, whereas a year ago it depended mainly on the United States.