Belgium’s AMOS has been selected by the French aerospace research agency ONERA to build PROVIDENCE, a 2.5-metre ground-based telescope that will provide detailed images of satellites in low Earth orbit for the French Air and Space Force. The telescope is expected to enter service in early 2029.
Preliminary studies for PROVIDENCE began in 2020, with the Haute-Provence Observatory in southeastern France selected to host the new telescope in November 2023. On 22 July 2026, ONERA announced that it had selected AMOS to design and manufacture PROVIDENCE.
“Capable of monitoring, identifying and characterising the space environment, this new asset will ultimately make it possible to assess the impacts and effects of actions, whether kinetic or laser-based, in space, in support of French sovereignty,” said Emmanuel Chiva, chairman and chief executive of ONERA. “As with the GRAVES system, ONERA is helping through this project to place France among the very select group of the world’s leading military powers capable of monitoring and acting in space.”
Once operational, PROVIDENCE will be capable of identifying and tracking satellites with a resolution of 10 centimetres at a distance of 500 kilometres, a capability the research agency describes as “unique in Europe.”
In addition to supporting space surveillance activities for the French Air and Space Force, the telescope will also be used for civil research, including observations of the asteroid Apophis during its close approach to Earth in 2029. According to the 22 July ONERA announcement, PROVIDENCE will be open to French and European academic institutions, start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises, industrial partners and public bodies.
While ONERA did not disclose the project’s total cost, the research agency said it had received €8.7 million from the European Regional Development Fund towards €14.5 million in eligible expenditure. This figure represents the portion of the project covered by the funding arrangement rather than a confirmed total project value. Additional funding for the project will be provided by the French Defence Innovation Agency and Directorate General of Armaments.
Keep European Spaceflight Independent
Your donation will help European Spaceflight to continue digging into the stories others miss. Every euro keeps our reporting alive.
