(
LeRubicon, may25)
This is an article entitled:
The Indo-Pacific, strategic space of French aerospace power, from which i publish here the part dedicated to the "French spatial forces" (aka "Commandement de l'Espace", CDE):
(…)
The Indo-Pacific and French space policy
The geopolitical approach to outer space is multilateral, because this environment is not susceptible to appropriation by States and escapes their sovereignty. France is nevertheless an important player, with its space industry covering a field ranging from launch (Ariane rocket) to observation and exploration.
A space mission requires three elements: a space segment (the satellite), a ground segment (control centre, earth stations) and a data link segment providing the interface between the control centre and the satellite. In order to be in constant contact with the satellite, the control centre must be able to provide a radio connection with it. The State must therefore build a network of stations judiciously placed around the globe so that the connection between the control centre and the satellite is constant. These stations are essential for controlling the satellite during the stationing phase when the satellite is separated from the launcher, and the station-keeping phase when the satellite is in orbit to make any corrections.
The French overseas territories are a crucial geopolitical asset for French space power. The Kourou launch site in French Guiana, with its proximity to the equator and low latitude, is an ideal location for geostationary satellite launches. The Indo-Pacific area also plays an important role in space observation. A satellite control station is installed in Kerguelen in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF) to observe polar-orbiting satellites, which is essential for the observation and electronic monitoring of satellites for military use (CSO*, Pléiades**, CERES***). When the Ariane rocket is launched, the rocket drops the satellite into its final orbit above Kerguelen. It is therefore the station of the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES) on Kerguelen that recovers the first telemetry. On Kerguelen, 15 to 20 follow-ups are carried out per day, i.e. 600 passages per year.
In addition to the CNES station in the TAAF, a global network of ground stations is also needed to cover the
Galileo satellite constellation, the new European geolocation system. This network includes receiving stations, control centres and uplink stations.
In addition to the stations already deployed in Kourou, Nouméa, Sainte-Marie de La Réunion and Papeete, the construction of thirty to forty stations is planned in Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Terre d'Adélie, Kerguelen, Mayotte, Wallis and the Marquesas Islands.
France, thanks to the overseas territories and the Indo-Pacific, is one of the only countries to have a circumterrestrial network of satellite monitoring stations. This network can avoid stormy and temporary negotiations with a third country for the installation of stations.
This geopolitical asset is coveted by several major powers.
China, for example, has put into orbit its own GPS-competing geolocation system, the Beidou 北斗 system. No fewer than 30 satellites have been put into orbit for the third version of the programme. However, it is from the Polynesian triangle that the tracking and guidance of these satellites is carried out by a 10,000-ton Chinese navy vessel equipped with trajectory radars: the Yuan Wang 6. The frequent visits of this vessel to
Papeete (2011, 2015) testify to this interest.
Outer space, which is essential for military operations, has become a battleground for various actors in international relations. To face this new challenge, France created in 2019 the Space Command (CDE), integrated into the AAE****, whose mission is to protect and defend France's military and civilian interests, as well as those of European space projects. To face the different threats (cyber, electromagnetic jamming, sabotage, kinetic),
international cooperation with different partners is essential. In this field, the Indo-Pacific strategy and the defence space strategy of the Ministry of Defence overlap. India, Japan and the United States are described in both documents as strategic partners. Collaboration projects already exist with India (Saral and Megha-trophic satellites), Japan (global dialogue on space) and the United States (French participation in the combined space operations of the US Space Force).
The military surveillance of space objects is also a prerogative of the AAE and the CDE, and this mission is the responsibility of the COSMOS (Centre Opérationnel de Surveillance Militaire des Objets Spatiaux) at Lyon Mont Verdun Air Base 942. Here again, the overseas territories offer several advantages. The overseas territories are less exposed than Europe to ballistic threats, and the periods of sunshine are complementary to those in metropolitan France.
An information report by the National Assembly even recommends the creation of a COSMOS antenna in overseas territories, for example in New Caledonia or French Polynesia. In addition to the possibility of ensuring permanent observation, this would send a strong signal of France's involvement in the Indo-Pacific. (…) (DeepL)
L'Indo-Pacifique, espace stratégique de la puissance aérospatiale française
*&** optical observation sats.
***sigint sats.
****Armée de l’Air et de l’Espace.
) ie: French Caribbean) prepare for a possible break in the submarine communication cables
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