TheHelios 2 system, which consists of theHelios 2A andHelios 2B, is a French-developed militaryEarth observation satellite program.^[1] Financed at 90% byFrance, the development also involved minor participation fromBelgium,Spain,Italy andGreece.^[2] Helios 2A was launched on 18 December 2004 by anAriane 5 rocket fromFrench Guiana.^[3]

Helios 2B was launched five years later, on 18 December 2009, carried also by an Ariane 5. The two satellites are identical.^[4] They carry aThales-built high-resolution visible and thermal infrared instrument with 35 cm resolution,^[5] and anAirbus-built medium-resolution instrument.^[6] The Helios 2 satellite bus is nearly identical to the platform built by EADS Astrium for theSpot 5 civil-commercial optical observation satellite.^[7]

The Helios 2 will be replaced by theComposante Spatiale Optique (CSO), a new French program of three military observation satellites. The first satellite (CSO-1) was launched on 15 December 2018, the second (CSO-2) on 29 December 2020, with the final launch (CSO-3) being scheduled for 2024.^[8][9][10]

• Hélios 1, the previous generation
• CSO, the follow-on system

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