The system developed under France’s ARES (Action and Space Resilience) program follows the award of a contract from the French Defence Procurement Agency for the development, delivery and deployment of the radar network. Aurore will become the largest space surveillance radar ever fielded in Europe.
Operating from the ground, Aurore is capable of continuously tracking multiple space objects simultaneously, offering French defence authorities a powerful tool for assessing the increasingly complex space domain.
With space rapidly becoming a contested environment, the Aurore program represents a significant boost to both French and European strategic autonomy. It provides cutting-edge detection capabilities that will strengthen military space surveillance and enhance situational awareness of activities in low orbit.
Developed and manufactured at Thales’ facility in Limours, the radar draws on expertise from a range of French small and medium-sized enterprises.
As space operations face growing challenges from hostile activity to escalating levels of orbital debris, Aurore’s ability to detect and track numerous small objects in real time will be critical to maintaining space sovereignty and protecting national interests.
Thales chairman and chief executive officer Patrice Caine said the system underscored the company’s leadership in advanced air and space surveillance technologies.
“With Aurore, the only radar of its kind in Europe, Thales is contributing to French sovereignty by strengthening its capabilities for monitoring the space environment at low orbits,” Caine said.
“Aurore once again demonstrates Thales’ leadership in air and space surveillance systems.”
Aurore is a software-defined radar operating in the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band, capable of providing continuous surveillance, rapid responsiveness to low-Earth orbit activity and high-resolution imaging of the space environment in real time.
Its modular architecture also lays the groundwork for a future family of UHF radars designed to meet a range of critical defence needs including protection against emerging ballistic and hypersonic threats.