NEWTOWN, Conn. - With the launch of the fourth COSMO-SkyMed satellite, Italy has begun work on COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) satellites. The development schedule for CSG will be tight. The first COSMO-SkyMed satellite was launched in 2007, and is expected to cease operations in the mid-2010s. However, the first CSG spacecraft is expected to lift off in 2016, which should mitigate the risk of a coverage gap. Thales Alenia Space has been awarded a contract to develop the CSG spacecraft.
In December 2011, the first Pleiades satellite launched, while the second launched in December 2012. With both satellites in orbit, France has begun discussions about a follow-on system. France plans to launch a new satellite constellation in the early 2020s that will improve upon Pleiades' resolution and agility. Paris would also like the satellites to have a lower launch mass, enabling them to use the smaller, cheaper Vega launch vehicle rather than Soyuz launch vehicles, which were used to carry Pleiades 1A and 1B into orbit.
By early next decade, replacements for both the COSMO-SkyMed and Pleiades satellite fleets will be in orbit. It is unclear what path either country will take following the launch of those spacecraft.
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