MUSIS
Encyclopedia
The MUltinational Space-based Imaging System for Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Observation (MUSIS) was an international program including France, Italy Belgium, Germany, Greece, and Spain that was aimed at allowing the six nations to share imagery from various military satellites through a common, generic user ground segment (UGS) according to agreed rules and quota.
Similar to many caregory B projects of European Defence Agency
(EDA) it would have been managed by OCCAR
had it ever got so far.
MUSIS was intended to provide access to
- the successor of French Hélios II called Composante Spatiale Optique (CSO)
- the successor of German SAR-Lupe called SARah
- the successor of Italian COSMO-SkyMed called COSMO Second Generation (CSG)
- the Spanish wide area optical satellite Ingenio (formerly known as Seosat)
The two systems mentioned first are entirely military whilst the two latter systems are dual dual-use.
MUSIS was approved in 2006 and studies were launched, in order to achieve Initial Operational Capability (IOC) by 2015. MUSIS was supposed to allow mutual access to the - still national - satellite constellations through the generic UGS. The latter would allow the countries involved to share intelligence imagery more easily than is currently possible.
After many divisions amongst the nations involved and some calls to cancel the programme, MUSIS continues.
On 1 July 2010 Poland and Sweden decided to join the MUSIS programme.
On 17 December 2010 contracts were awarded for the first two MUSIS satellites.
On 17 June 2011 contracts were awarded to Thales españa.
Similar to many caregory B projects of European Defence Agency
European Defence Agency
The European Defence Agency is an agency of the European Union based in Brussels. It is a Common Foreign and Security Policy body set up on 12 July 2004, reporting to the Council of the European Union. All EU member states, except Denmark which has an opt-out of the CFSP, take part in the agency...
(EDA) it would have been managed by OCCAR
OCCAR
The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation is a European intergovernmental organisation which facilitates and manages collaborative armament programmes between the nations of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain ,the United Kingdom and non-EU member Turkey The Organisation for Joint...
had it ever got so far.
MUSIS was intended to provide access to
- the successor of French Hélios II called Composante Spatiale Optique (CSO)
- the successor of German SAR-Lupe called SARah
- the successor of Italian COSMO-SkyMed called COSMO Second Generation (CSG)
- the Spanish wide area optical satellite Ingenio (formerly known as Seosat)
The two systems mentioned first are entirely military whilst the two latter systems are dual dual-use.
MUSIS was approved in 2006 and studies were launched, in order to achieve Initial Operational Capability (IOC) by 2015. MUSIS was supposed to allow mutual access to the - still national - satellite constellations through the generic UGS. The latter would allow the countries involved to share intelligence imagery more easily than is currently possible.
After many divisions amongst the nations involved and some calls to cancel the programme, MUSIS continues.
On 1 July 2010 Poland and Sweden decided to join the MUSIS programme.
On 17 December 2010 contracts were awarded for the first two MUSIS satellites.
On 17 June 2011 contracts were awarded to Thales españa.