CSO-3, the third satellite in the MUSIS (Multinational Space-based Imaging System) reconnaissance and identification programme, is scheduled for lift-off on March 6th 2025 from the European Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, aboard the Ariane-6 rocket. SPACEBEL is involved in this new mission in two ways.

CSO/MUSIS Constellation

In early March, CSO-3 will join its companions CSO-1 and CSO-2, which have been in orbit since late 2018 and 2022 respectively, thus completing the MUSIS military Earth observation constellation.

Developed by the French space agency CNES on behalf of the French defence authorities (DGA - Direction Générale de l'Armement), in collaboration with several European partners, including Belgium, the CSO (Composante Spatiale Optique) satellites, each weighing 3.5 tonnes, are the successors to the French Helios-2 system, which has reached the end of its life.

Thanks to cutting-edge technologies, the CSO satellites offer continuous day and night observation; they also feature the ability to identify smaller targets, including moving ones, and provide faster access to images.

Capable of taking some 800 snapshots a day, from any point on the globe, at a speed of 25.000 km/h, CSO satellites support military forces in terms of intelligence and the conduct of operations.

Given their ten-year lifespan, it is essential to start preparing the next generation of military satellites from now on in order to replace the CSOs by 2030, as part of the IRIS programme, and to ensure Europe's autonomy in terms of strategy, security and defence.

CSO & SPACEBEL

While SPACEBEL was already contributing to the operations of the Belgian component of the Helios ground segment, SPACEBEL won several contracts under the CSO programme in 2013.

• SPACEBEL participated in the development of the control centre and contributed also to the development of the mission centre.
• As a continuation of our involvement in the Helios programme, SPACEBEL is responsible for maintaining the CSO image reception and processing centre infrastructure in operational condition for the Belgian Defence.

Ariane-6 & SPACEBEL

The upcoming CSO-3 launch is all the more important as it involves Europe's new Ariane-6 launcher, which will perform its first commercial flight after its maiden flight on July 9th 2024. Ariane 6 marks Europe's return to sovereign access to space.  

SPACEBEL technology plays a role in Ariane-6. PrestoPlot, one of our main analysis tools derived from the world of simulation and developed for and with CNES over more than 20 years, will be used to analyse the launcher's telemetry parameters in real time. This free software is an interactive, simple and ergonomic plotting tool for visualising large volumes of temporal data. Originally a standard CNES off-line telemetry tracing tool, PrestoPlot has evolved over time to become an essential element in CNES control centres.             
A growing number of CNES users and other industrial partners also appreciate the benefits of this valuable analysis software.