Cannes, November 9, 2026 – Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%)  and Leonardo (33%), has been awarded by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA)  a contract for the development of the IRIS ultra-high-resolution military optical observation  space system, under joint prime contractorship with Airbus Defence and Space. The IRIS1 system will comprise of two satellites and their associated ground segment. 

IRIS: renewing the CSO system’s capabilities and addressing an evolving strategic  environment 

The two IRIS optical Earth observation satellites are intended to progressively replace the three  CSO satellites currently operating within the MUSIS2 system. The first satellite will ensure  continuity of France’s space-based Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) operational capability,  replacing the CSO-1 and CSO-2 satellites. Following the end of operational lifetime of the last  CSO satellite, the second IRIS satellite will significantly enhance image resolution performance  while addressing the evolving requirements of the armed forces. 

The program is a key asset of France’s defense policy, ensuring independent assessment  capabilities, operational cooperation, and sovereign decision-making through intelligence  gathered from space. 

Delivering Europe’s highest operational performance 

Building on its long-standing legacy in providing the most advanced optical observation  instruments to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, Thales Alenia Space will leverage its  expertise to support French and European operational superiority. To this end, the company  will develop the imaging systems for the first satellite and the most advanced observation  instrument ever built in Europe for the second one. 

Thales Alenia Space will also develop strategic systems ensuring the security, confidentiality  and rapid dissemination of the collected intelligence, while guaranteeing high-quality  production of the acquired imagery. 

Unique advanced technologies in Europe 

The optical systems developed by Thales Alenia Space for the IRIS satellites will deliver  unmatched resolution performance for the most demanding missions. They will be capable of  capturing ultra-high-resolution imagery anywhere on Earth, even under low-light and nighttime  conditions thanks to their infrared capabilities. 

The advanced technologies developed by Thales Alenia Space for IRIS include, among others,  a hyper-stable telescope of unprecedented scale integrating next-generation active optics,  ultra-sensitive high-speed digital sensors, and Artificial Intelligence-based image processing  capabilities. 

“We are particularly proud to contribute to the IRIS defense program, which will enable France  to strengthen its position among the world leaders in optical space observation,” said Hervé  Derrey, Chief Executive Officer of Thales Alenia Space. “Thales Alenia Space teams will rely  on their world-renowned expertise gained through landmark surveillance programs such as  Hélios, Pléiades and CSO, to develop the most advanced optical instrument ever built in  Europe. This contract further strengthens our position as the European leader in Very High  and Extremely High-Resolution space imaging, serving the French Ministry of the Armed  Forces and, on a broader scale, our institutional and commercial customers.” 

Thales Alenia Space leverages the excellence of France’s optical space industry 

The expertise of the industrial consortium, combined with the world-class capabilities of our  partners, including LYNRED, PYXALIS, SODERN, REOSC, ALAT and Thales SESO, will  enable reaching the highest level of performance in Europe for these optical Earth observation  satellites.