\n Published on
\n 14\/11\/2025 – 9:00 GMT+1\n <\/p>\n
At the inauguration of France\u2019s space command centre in Toulouse, President Emmanuel announced an additional \u20ac4.2 billion for weapons that could secure Europe\u2019s interests in space. <\/p>\n
The additional spending brings France\u2019s eventual investment in space weapons to over \u20ac10 billion by 2030, up from the \u20ac6 billion already earmarked<\/a> in 2023 by the Ministry of the Armed Forces. <\/p>\n Macron said the investment <\/a>aims to match what France\u2019s competitors are building in space, for example energy arms and lasers that are deployed on the Earth\u2019s surface that \u201caim to deprive us of our \u2026 sovereignty and to challenge our operational superiority\u201d.<\/p>\n The speech didn\u2019t include concrete commitments, but it included a few hints of new weapons that could be used in France\u2019s space defense, including patrol satellites, lasers, and signal randomisers. <\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we know about some of the weapons that the French state could be paying for. <\/p>\n A fleet of microsatellites<\/p>\n Macron said that part of this new spending will include the deployment of patrol-seeking satellites called Orbit Guard and TOUTATIS that will be able to \u201cinspect and protect our assets in orbit\u201d.<\/p>\n In August, Toulouse-based aerospace company Infinite Orbits announced it had signed a deal with the French military for a surveillance satellite that would stay in geostationary orbit (GEO), providing constant information from one determined site. <\/p>\n The company said it would also provide the French government with the Positioning and Autonomous Laser Assisted Detection in Near-space (PALADIN) project, a fleet of \u201cmicrosatellites\u201d that can observe space with sensors and inspect other satellites up close. <\/p>\n The autonomous satellites all weigh about 100 kilograms, which means they will be agile and able to approach other satellites within one kilometre of their stations.<\/p>\n The deal cost the French Ministry of Armed Forces \u20ac50 million, according<\/a> to a press release from the department.<\/p>\n The Orbit Guard satellite and the Paladin system are part<\/a> of France\u2019s Space Action and Resilience Plan (ARES) to eventually counter an attack launched in space against the country\u2019s satellites. <\/p>\n Defences in low earth situations<\/p>\n Another type of satellite that Macron directly mentioned is the In-Orbit Test of Action Techniques against Attempted Spatial Interference (TOUTATIS). <\/p>\n This project will develop France\u2019s capacities to detect, monitor, and possibly act against a space attack at low earth orbit (LEO) altitudes under 2,000 kilometres from the Earth\u2019s surface. <\/p>\n One satellite, called the SPLINTER, is an \u201caction\u201d satellite that is easily manouevrable and will have a \u201cset of sub-systems\u201d that will keep it working autonomously, according<\/a> to the French military. <\/p>\n It will work with a second satellite, the LISA1, which is a \u201cspotter\u201d satellite that will have \u201cadvanced observation capacities,\u201d to watch what is going on at orbit, according to the government. <\/p>\n The TOUTATIS project is being worked on by U-Space, a French startup that works with nanosatellites, and European weapons company MBDA. <\/p>\n The military says there have been several demonstrations of these capabilities since 2021. <\/p>\n Space-based lasers and jammers<\/p>\n Macron also said that France is developing its first \u201cspace-based\u201d capacities, with a particular focus on lasers and jammers. <\/p>\n