France has its Helios satellites, Germany its SAR-Lupe radar aircraft and Italy its Cosmo SkyMed. The problem is that each does not know what the others are doing - or snooping on. Now a new system, called MUSIS, aims to change that. It's been called the great golden gizmo of French military spy satellites and, once it's launched, the Helios 2B promises to upgrade European intelligence gathering, providing high-resolution images of often remote, dangerous terrain and assisting in military risk assessments. On Wednesday, the Helios 2B - a 4,200-kilogram, golden hued satellite - was scheduled to blast off on a European Ariane rocket from a launch site in French Guiana. The launch was, however, indefinitely postponed due to technical problems with the Ariane launcher, according to French defence ministry officials.
It's been called the great golden gizmo of French military spy satellites and, once it's launched, the Helios 2B promises to upgrade European intelligence gathering, providing high-resolution images of often remote, dangerous terrain and assisting in military risk assessments.
On Wednesday, the Helios 2B - a 4,200-kilogram, golden hued satellite - was scheduled to blast off on a European Ariane rocket from a launch site in French Guiana. The launch was, however, indefinitely postponed due to technical problems with the Ariane launcher, according to French defence ministry officials.
a 4,200-kilogram, golden hued satellite
Ooh - shiny!
