Airbus Defence and Space (OTC: EADSY) has been awarded the CASSIOPÉE contract by France's Directorate-General for Armament (DGA) to develop a new space-based signal intelligence (SIGINT) system, according to a press release statement.

The contract was announced by Catherine Vautrin, France's Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans' Affairs, at the International Space Summit. Airbus will serve as lead contractor and system integrator, with Unseenlabs as co-contractor.

Under the contract, Airbus will provide the ground segment, control centre, and a satellite solution based on its S250 platform, previously used for the CO3D constellation. Unseenlabs will handle mission planning, ground and on-board processing, deliver a ground segment, and supply a payload.

The CASSIOPÉE system is set to replace France's existing CERES constellation satellites by 2032, maintaining space-based SIGINT capability while offering improved technical performance. The system forms part of the broader CELESTE Space Electromagnetic Capability programme.

"With this contract, Airbus Defence and Space is contributing to France's sovereignty and strategic autonomy," said Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space.

Clément Galic, co-founder and CEO of Unseenlabs, said the contract "illustrates the synergy between Airbus, a long-standing player in the space industry, and Unseenlabs, a pioneering company in the French New Space sector."