Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announced that it has been awarded a contract by the French Space Agency (CNES), in partnership with the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), for the DESIR program (Démonstrateur des Éléments Souverains d’Imagerie Radar*). The contract covers the development and realisation of the radar payload and the associated user ground segment.

The DESIR program aims to develop technologies for a sovereign French space radar imaging capability, complementing existing international agreements, and thus represents a key milestone in building a national radar imaging sector — a critical technology for the Armed Forces in support of the country’s strategic autonomy.

All-weather, day/night observation, enabled by synthetic aperture radar (SAR), will complement France’s existing optical Earth observation capabilities used for intelligence and surveillance. These capabilities also support vitally important dual-use applications, including environmental monitoring, crisis management, and maritime surveillance.

The program will draw on Thales Alenia Space’s capabilities in Earth observation instruments and ground segments. In particular, teams responsible for altimetry will contribute to the development of the imaging radar, while the user ground segment will leverage the company’s expertise already proven on export programs.

Thales Alenia Space in France, Loft Orbital and TEKEVER France have combined their expertise under a consortium arrangement, further strengthened by the involvement of French SMEs. As the consortium lead, Loft Orbital will be responsible for the satellite and the ground control segment. Thales Alenia Space in France will deliver the payload and the user ground segment, working closely with TEKEVER France, which will develop the active antenna integrated into the imager.

This partnership ensures that critical building blocks remain under national control and that the associated intellectual property stays within France. The program is expected to enter service in early 2029, followed by two years of operation, which will allow the Government to evaluate this innovative model in terms of meeting its sovereign capacity needs. The DESIR program builds on the DGA’s and CNES’ ongoing efforts to foster a more agile defence space sector, notably through the Pacte Espace and Cercle de Confiance Espace initiatives. Beyond its operational dimension, DESIR will help strengthen France’s economic sovereignty and sustain cutting-edge space expertise in-country.

“We are delighted to be working closely with Loft Orbital and TEKEVER France on the DESIR program, a mission that will serve France’s space sovereignty in radar imaging,” said Hervé Derrey, CEO of Thales Alenia Space. “I would like to thank CNES and the DGA for their continued confidence. Thales Alenia Space will build on its expertise in developing radar altimeters and Earth observation ground segments to deliver this outstanding program.”

Click here to learn more about Satellite Antennas featured on SATNow