Our next passenger, the CSO-3 satellite, has arrived at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Satellite and Ariane 6 launcher preparations are well underway for the upcoming launch (flight VA263). Launch date details will be shared in the coming weeks.
The CSO-3 satellite will be launched for the DGA – Direction générale de l’armement (French defence procurement agency) on behalf of the French Ministry of Armed Forces (Ministère des Armées) and CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, French space agency). It is the third satellite of the Optical Space Component (CSO – Composante Spatiale Optique) program, a constellation of three satellites dedicated to Earth observation for defence and security.