Since the launch of
Helios 1A in 1995,
France has developed a series of military Earth observation programs. Due to the limited lifetime of satellites, a program was launched to replace the currently operational
Helios 2 satellites. This program started as a French contribution to the larger pan-European
MUSIS program, and eventually became a mostly French program. An agreement between France and
Germany was reached in April 2015, under which Germany contributes
€200 million to building a third satellite, and in exchange receives access rights to the imagery. == Technical capabilities ==