The Earth observation satellite FalconEye was successfully launched on 2 December from the European Spaceport (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana by an Arianespace Soyuz rocket.
Owned and operated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to support the needs of its armed services, FalconEye was developed by
Airbus Defence and Space and
Thales Alenia Space as co-prime contractors.
The satellite weighed 1,190kg at launch and has been raised to a helio-synchronous orbit of 611km. Airbus Defence and Space was in charge of the satellite design, integration and test, and supplied the platform. Thales Alenia Space designed and supplied the optical instrument and the image processing chain.
Jean-Marc Nasr, Airbus head of space systems, said: “FalconEye will offer top quality Earth observation, providing our customer with the best of what space imagery can offer. The high-performance optical satellite system represents an important step in the cooperation between the UAE and France
“Thanks to the trust of our Emirati customer and the support of the French government, we have been able to deliver a great team effort between Airbus and Thales Alenia Space.”