The French military communications satellite Syracuse 4A was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana on October 23, 2021. © AFPFrance has successfully launched a state-of-the-art satellite into orbit, designed to allow all of France’s armed forces across the globe to communicate swiftly and securely. The Ariane 5 rocket carrying the Syracuse 4A satellite took off from Kourou, in French Guiana late on Saturday, with the mission accomplished 38 minutes and 41 seconds after takeoff. The French government accuses Russia of having brought its intelligence-gathering satellite Olymp-K, also known as Louch, into close proximity of the French-Italian military satellite Athena-Fidus in 2017, in what Defence Minister Florence Parly called “an act of espionage”. Last year, the US claimed that Russia had conducted a non-destructive anti-satellite weapons test from space.

Source: The Express Tribune October 24, 2021 20:05 UTC