CNES

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CNES can also refer to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar in Scotland.

The Centre National d'Études Spatiales is the French government space agency (administratively, a "public establishment of industrial and commercial character"). Its headquarters are located in central Paris. It operates out of the Guiana Space Center, but also has payloads launched from other space centers operated by other countries. CNES formerly was responsible for the training of French astronauts, however the last of them were transferred to the European Space Agency in 2001.

1 CNES Programs
2 History
3 External link

[edit] CNES Programs

[edit] Access to Space

Assured access to space underpins any global, coherent space policy. France was the 3rd space power to achieve this distinction, sharing technologies with Europe to boost development of the Ariane launcher family.
International competition in space is fierce, so launch services must be tailored to space operators’ needs.
The new versions of Ariane 5 can launch large satellites or perform dual launches.
And the Vega and Soyuz small and medium-lift launchers are now set to round out this range.
Alongside its European partners, CNES also offers its expertise in satellite deployment.

[edit] Sustainable development

Space resources are vital for learning more about the Earth and its evolution. Earth observation and measurements offer ways to ensure sustainable stewardship of our planet.
CNES and its partners in Europe—through the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security initiative (GMES)—and around the world have put in place satellites dedicated to observing the land, oceans and atmosphere, as well as to hazard and crisis management.
The best-known are the SPOT satellites flying the Vegetation instrument, the Topex/Poseidon and Jason-1 oceanography satellites, the Argos system, Envisat and—in the near future—Jason-2 and the Pleiades constellation.

[edit] Civil applications

Space technologies are set to offer society a number of advances in the coming years through the emergence of new services. Space is a great equalizer for bridging territorial disparities in education, health and citizenship. For example, CNES has developed the concept of a “ communications-enabled village ” that combines the high data rates offered by satellite technology with terrestrial technologies.
CNES is also taking part in the Galileo satellite navigation programme alongside the European Union and Esa, and—in a wider international context—in the Cospas-Sarsat search-and-rescue system.

[edit] Security and Defence

In an ever-more-complex world, independent information-gathering, location and civil and military intelligence capabilities are a prerequisite for good, independent and responsive decision-making.
In addition to Spot and the future Pleiades satellites, CNES is working for the defence community as prime contractor for the Helios satellites.
GMES—a joint initiative involving the EU, Esa and national space agencies—pools space resources to monitor the environment and protect populations, but it also encompasses satellite support for armed forces and for European organizations on humanitarian or peacekeeping missions.

[edit] Research and innovation

Orbital telescopes such as Integral, XMM and Corot, and space probes like Mars and Venus Express, Cassini-Huygens and Rosetta, are revolutionizing our knowledge of the Universe and our Solar System.
Recent satellites such as Demeter (earthquakes), Parasol and Calipso (radiation budget) and Megha-Tropiques (water cycle) are profoundly altering our understanding of the processes at work in the Earth system.
France’s contribution to the International Space Station is giving French scientists the opportunity to perform original experiments in microgravity.
CNES is also an innovator, and is currently studying formation flying, a technique whereby several satellites fly components of a much heavier and complex instrument in a tightly controlled configuration.