A Letter of Intent has been signed by both the French and Italian ministers of defense approving the Athena-Fidus geo-stationary comsat project. This satellite is expected to provide both countries’ defense ministry needs for high-volume, space-based telecommunications. Such will also assist other homeland defense agencies, such as those in civil defense and internal security and so on. The French piece of this satcom project will be grounded on a defence procurement agency (Délégation générale pour l’armement, DGA) partnership with et le national space research center (CNES). The Italian side of this equation will find the participants to be Segredifesa (General Secretariat For Defence) and the Italian Space Agency (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana—ASI). CNES and ASI will now be able to start the project development phase during the first half of 2008. Orbit is hoped to be attained by 2012. This agreement follows another space cooperation agreement that was signed in 2007 for the Sicral 2 military satcom project, expected to be launched by 2011—Nice, France
- Skip to primary navigation
- Skip to main content
- Skip to primary sidebar
- Skip to secondary sidebar
- Skip to footer
Satellite Industry Intelligence Since 1983
Footer
Satnews is a leading provider of satellite news, events, publications, research and other satellite industry information in both commercial and military enterprises worldwide.