France's Space Forces Command conducts first military exercise in space - AsterX2021

The French Space Forces Command has begun its first military exercises in space in a bid to test its ability to defend its satellites. According to Deutsche Welle media outlet, Michel Friedling, who is the head of the country’s Space Command, called the exercises “stress test” of the Forces’ systems and said that they were a first for the French army and even a first in Europe. During the drill, which began on Monday and is set to last until Friday, the French military will monitor a potentially dangerous space object as well as a threat to its own satellites from another foreign power possessing a considerable space force.

The French army said, "#AsterX2021 Launch of the first space exercise in @CNES. Led by the French Air Force and Space Command, this tactical and operational training exercise for military space operations prepares space fighters". 

The US Space Force and German space agencies are also taking part in the French exercises. The military drill is part of the French government’s strategy to make the country the world’s third-largest space power. Apart from the military exercises in space, France also plans to develop anti-satellite laser weapons. Further, the country also plans to strengthen surveillance capabilities in an area that it believes could become a major theatre of confrontation between powers on Earth. 

France ‘needs to act’ 

It is worth noting that the French Space Forces Command, Commandement de l’Espace (CdE), was created back in 2019 and it is set to have 500 personnel by 2025. According to the media outlet, investments in the space programme are also set to reach $5 billion in the same six-period — a fraction of what is being spent by the US and China. Back in 2019, the French Defence Minister Florence Parly had said that the country’s allies and adversaries are militarizing space because of which France “needs to act”. 

Meanwhile, the military drill comes after a Russian “spy-satellite” had tried to approach a Franco-Italian satellite in what Paris called an “act of espionage”. In 2017, Russia’s Olymp-K attempted to intercept transmissions from the Athena-Fidus satellite which is used by both Italian and French armies for secure communications. In 2020, the United States also accused Russia of having “conducted a non-destructive test” of an anti-satellite weapon from space. 

(Rep image: Unsplash)