The European Union will create a military satellite for very low Earth orbit 0 8

The European Defence Agency has signed a contract with a consortium led by the Spanish company Sener for the development of a military satellite intended for operation in very low Earth orbit (from 150 to 350 kilometers above the planet's surface). This was reported by European Spaceflight.

The agreement amounts to 15.65 million euros. The consortium, led by Sener, includes 16 other companies. The VLEO-DEF research project is funded by five EU countries — Spain, France, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Slovenia. The program's implementation period is 36 months.

The advantages of VLEO-DEF include the ability to obtain clear images of the Earth's surface and a short signal delay, while the disadvantages include the impact of the atmosphere on the spacecraft, which requires orbital adjustments and reduces the satellite's lifespan.

In February, the first launch of the European Ariane 6 rocket in the configuration with four side boosters (Ariane 64) took place, successfully placing American satellites Amazon Leo into low Earth orbit.