User:Tomas e/MUSIS

The Multinational Space-based Imaging System for Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Observation or MUSIS is a European collaborative project aimed at the procurement of intelligence satellites. Participating countries are Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain.

A pointer to the direction is whether there will be consensus on a next-generation European system of IMINT and radar MASINT satellites. A proposal in process is to generate the Multinational Satellite-based Imagery System for Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Observation (MUSIS). The participants are Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain. EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space are competing, under the direction of the French defense procurement agency, DGA. This system could be operational somewhere around 2015-2017, around the time that the French Helios and joint French-Italian Pleiades IMINT satellites need replacement. The German SAR Lupe and Italian CosmoSkyMed radar satellites will last up to 2017 or 2018.