France has successfully launched a state-of-the-art satellite into orbit that will allow all French armed forces around the world to communicate quickly and securely.
Paris formed a space force command in July 2019 amid fears of rival countries investing heavily in space technology, according to a report by the foreign news agency AFP.
Col. Stephen Spiat, a spokesman for the French Air Force and Space Force, told AFP that the satellite was designed to prevent military aggression on Earth and space, as well as interference.
Equipped with Syracuse 4A satellite, the Aryan 5 rocket took off from the French region of Guyana over the weekend, completing a 38-minute, 41-second flight after takeoff.
The satellite can monitor its surroundings and change its position to avoid an attack.
Thanks to its advanced equipment (anti-jamming antenna and digital transparent processor), Syracuse 4A will guarantee high resistance to the jamming process.
The satellite is also protected from electromagnetic pulses from a nuclear explosion, Mark Fanaud, an arms proliferation expert at the Geneva Center for Security Policy, told AFP.
He added that if the warning failed, it would serve as a final warning.
In March, France launched its first military exercises in space to test the defense capabilities of its satellites, dubbed "the first for the French military and the first in Europe."
The French government has accused Russia of bringing its intelligence-gathering satellite Olympus-K, also known as Loch, close to French-Italian military satellite Athena Fides in 2017, which Defense Minister Florence Parley called "spying." Was declared.
Last year, the United States claimed that Russia had tested non-destructive anti-satellite weapons from space.
In March, the office of French President Emmanuel Macron said there had been similar incidents since then, but gave no details.
Investment in France's space program is expected to reach 4.3 billion euros during the 2019-2025 budget period, a small fraction of the amount spent by the United States or China.
