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France has organized its first military exercises in space, testing its orbital combat capabilities as Paris strives to consolidate its position as the world’s third space power.
Eighteen hypothetical “crisis events” were simulated this week, including an attack on a French satellite by foreign agents wanting to capture its data or destroy it, and capricious space debris penetrating the atmosphere and threatening the population.
The exercises are codenamed “Aster X” in honor of Asterix, the first French satellite launched in 1965, and are part of a defense strategy of 5 billion euros which brings together military and civilian space weapons. from the country.
As clashes between world powers increasingly take place in the poorly regulated realm of space, France has continued to adjust its military strategy accordingly – even renaming its national air force “the force”. air and space ”.
‘Stress test’
Michel Friedling, who heads the newly established Military Space Command (CDE) in Toulouse, said the exercises – carried out Monday through Friday – were a “stress test” of French space infrastructure to ensure the military was able to respond to threats.
With its nuclear submarines and ballistic missiles, France is already a world military leader – but the authorities are so hiding their intention to flex French strength in this new military arena.
During an ultra-secure visit to the CDE on Friday, President Emmanuel Macron and Defense Minister Florence Parly observed the exercises, and attended a “working meeting on space strategy”.
In 2019, when the space command was set up, Parly warned against the “need to act” because space was already “militarized” by the French “allies and adversaries”.
The satellites were likely to be spied on and blocked, she said – recalling a 2017 incident in which a Russian satellite, Luch-Olymp, attempted to approach the Franco-Italian military satellite, Athena-Fidus, in what Paris called “an act of espionage.”.
“If our satellites are threatened, we will consider dazzling the satellites of our adversaries,” Parly added. “This may involve the use of high power lasers … an area where France has fallen behind. But we will compensate.”
Meanwhile, Friedling, a former fighter pilot, also warns that hostile operations in space by “state and private actors” risk tipping the balance of power.
Defend the assets
At the start of the space age in the 1960s, nations worried about weapons of mass destruction that could be fired from space. These days, efforts are focused on protecting expensive state communications satellites from foreign interference.
“Many military and military maneuvers would not be possible without GPS or Galileo, American and European positioning, timing and navigation systems,” explains Dr. Sarah Lieberman, poly-space expert at the University of Canterbury Christchurch.
“So by removing these specific satellites, enemy forces could have a huge advantage.”
While the finer details of France’s space exercises have been left to the imagination, Friedling said the operation was not only a first for France – but also for Europe.
Until now, France had only participated in this type of military training as a guest, under American command. This time, Paris is organizing the show, with the help of the new US Space Force and German space agencies.
The French space command is expected to double its staff by 2025, and Toulouse – home to the National Center for Space Studies (CNES), the Airbus Space Academy and the Space City Museum – will strengthen its reputation as an international hub for the world. industry space.
Last month, NATO announced plans to locate its new Space Center of Excellence in the city.
The sky, it seems, is the limit.
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