France’s defense procurement agency DGA has awarded Thales a contract to develop and build the Aurore UHF space surveillance radar, a next-generation system designed to replace the country’s aging GRAVES network by 2030. The radar will enhance France’s ability to track satellites and debris in low Earth orbit (LEO), improving both national and European space situational awareness.
Aurore: A Software-Defined UHF System for Space Domain Awareness
Developed at Thales’s Limours site near Paris, Aurore operates in the UHF band and offers continuous monitoring with multi-object tracking capabilities. Its software-defined architecture enables real-time data collection, faster detection, and higher precision—key advantages for identifying small debris and fast-moving orbital objects up to 2,000 km away.
Successor to GRAVES: From VHF Fence to High-Precision Radar
Since 2005, the GRAVES radar has been the backbone of France’s space surveillance system. However, its VHF-based bistatic design has limitations in detecting small debris. Aurore’s UHF frequency and digital beamforming technology overcome these issues, delivering sharper angular accuracy and rapid updates for real-time orbital tracking.
Strategic Impact and European Integration
Aurore’s data will feed into France’s Space Command (Commandement de l’Espace), supporting activities such as collision avoidance, anomaly detection, and re-entry tracking. The radar strengthens France’s sovereignty in space monitoring while contributing to the EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EU-SST) initiative.
Built under the ARES program, Aurore represents a cornerstone of the 2024–2030 French defense plan, sustaining local industry and high-end radar expertise.
Toward a Stronger European Space Defense Network
By expanding monitoring capabilities over LEO and beyond, Aurore allows France and its EU partners to maintain a clearer and more independent view of orbital activities. Although France is currently the only customer, Thales plans to position Aurore as Europe’s largest space radar, potentially paving the way for future exports once operational performance is proven.
