France has selected Thales Alenia Space to develop the radar payload and associated ground segment for its new DESIR (Démonstrateur des Éléments Souverains d’Imagerie Radar) space radar imaging programme, in a contract awarded by the French Space Agency (CNES) and the Defence Procurement Agency (DGA). The initiative aims to establish a sovereign satellite-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) capability capable of delivering all-weather, day-and-night imaging. The radar system is designed to comp

2025 was a huge year for Europe in space. Here are 10 highlights 🚀 1. Europe’s rockets keep improving. Vega-C and Ariane 6 completed several successful launches, and our reusable Themis rocket demonstrator stood on the launch pad in Sweden. A major step toward cleaner, reusable European rockets. 2. We have imaged the Sun’s South Pole for the first time ever, thanks to our Solar Orbiter spacecraft. 3. Proba-3 created an artificial solar eclipse in space, revealing the Sun’s corona in new detail.