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French space program

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The French space program includes both civil and military spaceflight activities. It is the third oldest national space program in the world, after the Soviet (now Russian) and American space programs, and the largest space program in Europe.

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Background

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Space launch vehicle imagined on a Gobelins tapestry, ordered by Colbert and drawn by Le Brun, 1664.

Space travel has long been a significant ambition in French culture. From the Gobelins' 1664 tapestry representing a space rocket,[1] to Jules Verne's 1865 novel From the Earth to the Moon and George Méliès' 1902 film A Trip to the Moon, space and rocketry were present in French society long before the technological means appeared to allow the development of a space exploration program.

During the late 18th century, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, Jacques Charles and the Montgolfier brothers are seen as worldwide precursors and explorers of aeronautics, with the world record altitude then reached by a human at 7,016 metres (23,018 ft) performed by Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac in 1804. Those names, their numerous students and their works will mark the early expertise of France's space program in all types of air balloons since.

In the beginning of the twentieth century, the origins of the French space program are tied to French technological developments in aerospace and astronautics, notably the nascent airplane and rocket industries.

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EA-EOLE rockets (as tested in 1940–1941 and 1951)

Robert Esnault-Pelterie appears as one of the early pioneers in space exploration design and rocket science. From 1908, he studied propulsion and space flight; without knowing the work of Russian mathematician Konstantin Tsiolkovsky at that time, he derived the mathematical equations for interplanetary flight, flight durations, and engine propulsion, and was later nominated President of the Chambre Syndicale des Industries Aéronautiques (Trade association of Aircraft industries) in 1912.[2] From 1935 to 1939 he designed a high-altitude sounding rocket, but World War II interrupted his plans; German experts believed that the rocket could have reached its design goal of 60 miles (97 km).[3] Esnault-Pelterie convinced physicist Jean-Jacques Barré, a pioneer in rocket propulsion, to collaborate on the design of a self-propelled cryogenic rocket. Between 1927 and 1933, Barré did extensive research and developed a rocket that could reach the upper atmosphere and space, the EA-41 Eole (see picture).[4]

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History

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The beginning of the institutional French space program dates back to 1946 when, right after World War II, the Laboratoire de recherches balistiques et aérodynamiques (LRBA, Ballistic and aerodynamic research laboratory) was formed in Vernon to develop the next generation of rockets, partly taking advantage of the German development of the V2 rocket.

Before this and during the war, as Free France continued to work, the EA-41 was tested and improved by military personnel, from October 1942 through to 1945.[5]

22 May 1952: Véronique N1 is successfully launched from the Saharan desert.[5]

In 1958, President Charles de Gaulle directed the creation of several space research committees. In 1959, the Comité d'études spatiales was born under the supervision of Pierre Auger. In 1961, de Gaulle signed the creation of the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) to coordinate French space activities. Development of Western Europe's first carrier rocket, the Diamant, began in 1962, first launched in Algeria.

On November 26, 1965, Astérix, the first French satellite in space, is successfully launched by a Diamant rocket from the Algerian desert. It is active for 2 consecutive days before ceasing to transmit.[5]

In 1965, France's space launch pads and CNES settled in Kourou.

In 1973, France drove the creation of the European Space Agency and became its first contributor.

The French space budget, although stagnant since the early 2000s in constant euros, remains in absolute terms the largest of the member countries of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the third largest national budget (after the United States of America and the People's Republic of China) at €2.33 billion.[6] In 2004, this budget stood at €1.698 billion, with €685 million being transferred to the Paris-based ESA for the programs conducted under its supervision.

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Ariane rocket at Le Bourget airport museum, Paris

The Ariane rocket family is France's own rocket family, whose use has been extended to the whole of ESA member countries.

Its spaceport, near Kourou, was selected in 1964 to host all of France's launches. Later, it was selected as ESA's launch site. Before being in French Guiana, France's space launches were made from Algeria, in Colomb-Béchar and Hammaguir.[7]

The French space program thus benefits from the best ground position for launch sites on Earth, as its position 5.3° north of the equator allows rockets to gain propulsion from the spinning of the Earth when launched eastward (+460 m/s) and save on propellant. No other governmental launch sites allow this level of physical parameters. It is also able to launch satellites into polar orbits from this spaceport, although the rotational velocity becomes a penalty for Sun-Synchronous orbits.

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Launch statistics

As of 28 December 2024[8][9]

As of 2017, Kourou counts amongst the spaceports with the highest percentage of successful launches, both successive and overall. Here is a chronology of all orbital launches from the Kourou spaceport since 1970, under the French and European space programmes.

Flights by launcher

3
6
9
12
15
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
Active: 
  •    Ariane 6
  •    Vega

Retired: 

Flights by mission outcome

3
6
9
12
15
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025

  Success     Failure     Partial Failure     Scheduled

Collaborations

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Columbus module

France's public involvement in space technologies is also deep into European programs such as Columbus (Thales Alenia Space) or Automated Transfer Vehicle (Airbus Defence and Space).

The French space program includes collaborations between its institutions and other countries, European as well as other foreign countries and institutions (JAXA, ISRO, NASA, CNSA) in projects ranging from the Herschel Space Observatory to BepiColombo, Saral/Altika and the Planck space observatory.[10]

Since 2010, France and Russia have been collaborating on several space missions, including long-run science programmes like Cardiomed, dedicated to monitoring cardiovascular health in cosmonauts.[11]

In 2016, for the COP21, CNES and ISRO impulsed a groundbreaking and worldwide plan to unite all space agencies for the gathering of satellite information and detection on greenhouse gas emissions, allowing more precise measurements and decision making.[12] In addition, CNES and ESA have a strong background of collaboration, notably building the largest single satellite surveyance program for earth's biological monitoring (Copernicus Programme).

CNES has provided essential instruments (cameras) on an Indian mission to the Moon (Chandrayaan-1), launched in January 2018.[13] A consortium led by the CNES also built Argos instruments on board India's Oceansat-3 in 2018.[14] A third collaboration between the ISRO and French space actors (LESIA, CNRS, Université Paris-VI and Université Paris-VII) has seen the launch of PicSat in January 2018, a nano-satellite that surveys the Beta Pictoris star for exoplanets.[15]

The French space agency was also responsible for the construction of the main instruments on the French-German-American InSight mission to Mars, which launched on 5 May 2018 and landed on 26 November 2018.

On 20 October 2018, CNES and JAXA launched the BepiColombo mission to study the magnetic field of Mercury and map its surface.

On 29 October 2018, the CFOSAT [fr] (China-France Oceanography SATellite) was placed into Earth orbit to study ocean surface winds and waves.[16] After President Macron's state visit to China in January 2018, the French-Chinese collaboration in space was increased significantly and includes more in-depth collaboration, notably in the sharing of CFOSAT data, meant to study oceans and their interaction with the atmosphere, as well as in the SVOM program.[17]

In 2020, Solar Orbiter was launched by NASA, containing instruments designed by CNES and other French industrial actors.[18]

The French satellite TARANIS, with international collaboration, was launched in November 2020. The launch was a failure (of the launching rocket) and the satellite never entered use. It would have been the 1st satellite designed to observe lightning at altitudes of 20 to 100 km.[19]

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Future projects

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The French space programme has outlined several major initiatives and evolving priorities for the coming years, emphasising sovereign access to space, new services, launcher modernisation, and defence/space-security capabilities.

Launcher and access-to-space capability

In September 2025, CNES announced the ASTRE initiative, a contract with ArianeGroup to devise and validate technology building-blocks for a new-generation very-high-thrust engine for Europe’s future heavy-lift launchers. [20]

A multi-user launch facility in French Guiana is under development; construction began in 2025 to accommodate new-space and microlauncher operators at the Guiana Space Centre (CSG).[21]

The objective is to maintain and extend France’s independent access to space and support European launcher autonomy.[22]

New services: 5G/NTN, telecommunications & downstream

CNES funded €31 million to Univity for the development of a French space-based 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) solution, “uniSky”. The project includes technical and use-case specification (July 2025–April 2026) and assembly, testing, and launch of two very-low-Earth-orbit 5G satellites with ground gateways (April 2026–Feb 2028).[23][24]

The satellite-terminal-ground network aims to provide high-speed, low-latency connectivity for consumer and professional users, enhancing France’s connectivity sovereignty.

Defence and space-security missions

France is developing new capabilities, including laser and electromagnetic jamming systems, in response to a contested space environment. A national space-strategy review highlights patrol and surveillance satellites scheduled for ~2027.[25]

The Composante Spatiale Optique (CSO) reconnaissance satellite programme reached completion with the launch of CSO-3 in February 2025 via Ariane 6, supporting national and allied defence capabilities.[26]

Earth-observation and science missions

The CO3D (Constellation Optique 3D) programme is deploying a constellation of ~4 mini-satellites (~300 kg each) providing 3D Earth-surface imaging with ~1 m vertical and 0.5 m spatial resolution in sun-synchronous orbit.[27]

CNES emphasizes sustainable space activities, including decarbonisation and environmental footprint reduction, according to a March 2025 report.[28]

Strategic industrial and sovereignty dimension

France’s France 2030 space programme, through CNES, focuses on industrial competitiveness, upstream manufacturing, and sovereign space systems.[29]

Outlook and major milestones

Projects expected between 2025–2030 include: launch of 5G-NTN demonstration satellites (by 2028), next-generation heavy-lift engine technology validation (ASTRE), deployment of microlauncher infrastructure at CSG, and further advances in space-defence satellite systems by 2027.

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See also

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French spationaut Thomas Pesquet in 2016
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Map of the Centre Spatial Guyanais (Guiana Space Centre)
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References

External links

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