French Space Command - Le Commandement de l’Espace (CDE) - is pleased to present the 4th edition of its annual military space exercise, which remains unique in Europe. AsterX 2024 has the objective of perfecting the training of the CDE in a realistic and complex simulated space environment, in order to meet the new challenges emerging from increasingly numerous and diverse threats.
To preserve a credible multi-domain environment, the exercise is based on the same geopolitical scenario as defined for ORION 23, the major joint exercise for training in large-scale combat operations, which featured live drills in all domains. The space component will perform its key mission of supporting the other components, while at the same time its own assets will be confronted by new threats that it must obviously counter. The players will face the full spectrum of space warfare, ranging from restricted freedom of action to the tactical and technical constraints of an inevitable orbital battle conducted by an adversary engaging in the uninhibited use of force. They will be working on a specially produced technical platform, augmented by new functionalities compared to previous editions, with a scenario comprising 23 space events affecting every possible orbit.
A key aspect of this year’s exercise is that it has been opened to more international partners than in previous years. These partners will be fully integrated into the exercise to advance the development of interoperability in the space domain. The French space agency (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales - CNES) and all our industrial partners remain fully engaged in the exercise as part of this broader coalition, which is united in shared concerns for sustainability in the space domain.
Ensuring safety, security and peace in space is a major challenge, and we must rise to this task collectively. This is the spirit and aim of the AsterX exercise and is key to our common goal of tackling the emerging threats. Together, we are learning and advancing as we further develop a shared culture of military space operations as a fundamental pillar of strengthened international cooperation.
GENERAL ADAM - SPACE COMMANDER
