Arianespace is to launch Airbus Defence and Space‘s CO3D satellites, On Friday, July 25th, 2025, at 11:03 p.m. local time, as well as the CNES’s MicroCarb satellite. This mission, called “VV27”, will be performed using an Arianespace-operated Vega C rocket, launched from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The main passengers, the four satellites composing the CO3D constellation, as well as the auxiliary passenger, MicroCarb, will be placed in Sun-synchronous orbits. The expected total duration of the mission (from lift-off to separation of all satellites) is 1 hour and 41 minutes.
Designed and built by Airbus, the CO3D (Constellation Optique 3D) satellites will deliver a global high-resolution Digital Surface Model (DSM) service to CNES, providing 50 cm stereo imagery as well as 2D imagery for government and commercial customers. A partnership between Airbus and CNES, CO3D comprises four dual-use satellites, each based on all-electric platforms and weighing around 285 kg. This data will feed a cloud-based ground segment operated by Airbus, including an image processing chain delivered by CNES. This data will answer both the military need for precise and up-to-date cartography as well as civil applications such as hydrology, geology, civil security, urban planning and land and resource management.
The CNES’ MicroCarb mission is designed to map sources and sinks of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most important greenhouse gas, on a global scale. The satellite’s dispersive spectrometer instrument will measure the atmospheric concentration of CO2 globally with a high degree of precision. MicroCarb’s platform is based on the latest CNES Myriade model. Its instrument was built by Airbus Defence and Space, and the integration was realised by Thales Alenia Space UK through a dedicated partnership implemented with the UK Space Agency.
The VV27 launch at a glance:
- 354th launch by Arianespace, 5th Vega C launch
- 10% of the satellites launched by Arianespace are Earth observation satellites
- 147th-150th spacecraft built by Airbus Defence and Space launched by Arianespace (CO3D, 4 satellites)
- 108th spacecraft built by Thales Alenia Space launched by Arianespace (MicroCarb platform)
