CNES
The Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) is France's national space agency, established in 1961 and headquartered in Paris.
- Founded
- 1961
- Headquarters
- Paris, France
- Ownership
- Government
Quick Facts
About CNES
The Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) is France's national space agency, established in 1961 and headquartered in Paris. CNES is responsible for shaping and implementing French space policy and manages an annual budget of €3.029 billion (2024), making it one of Europe's largest space agencies. The agency operates the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana — Europe's primary orbital launch facility and the site for Ariane, Vega, and Soyuz launches. CNES develops satellites and scientific instruments, leads French contributions to ESA programs, and manages international collaborations with NASA, JAXA, and ISRO.
Key programs include the Copernicus Earth observation series, the Galileo navigation system (in partnership with ESA), the SWOT ocean-topography satellite (joint with NASA), and France's military space surveillance capabilities. CNES has a staff of approximately 2,400 engineers and scientists.
Products and product lines
| Product | Line | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Guiana Space Centre (CSG) | Spaceport | Europe's spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana, operated by CNES; hosts the Ariane 6 and Vega launch complexes plus the Multi-Launcher Complex being reactivated for European micro-launchers. |
| Ariane 6 | Launch vehicle | Developed jointly for ESA and CNES and launched from the Guiana Space Centre; flew its second four-booster (Ariane 64) mission on 30 April 2026, carrying 32 Amazon Leo satellites. |
| MicroCarb | Earth observation satellite | CNES-operated atmospheric CO2-monitoring satellite launched 26 July 2025, targeting 1 ppm measurement accuracy as a successor to NASA's OCO-2. |
| Idefix rover | Planetary rover | Small rover developed jointly by CNES and DLR to ride on JAXA's MMX mission to the Martian moon Phobos, carrying an SD card of public messages; MMX is slated to depart at the end of 2026. |
| Multi-Launcher Complex (ELM) | Launch facility | Former Diamant pad at the Guiana Space Centre being reactivated for European micro-launcher tenants including PLD Space, Isar Aerospace, Rocket Factory Augsburg and MaiaSpace. |
| Vast-PAM-1 | Human spaceflight mission | NASA-linked private astronaut mission to the ISS planned for 2027, commanded by French/ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who began training in September 2026. |
Timeline
- 2024 CNES reports a 2024 budget of €3.029 billion, equivalent to about €45 per French citizen per year. [source]
- 2025 President Emmanuel Macron nominates François Jacq to lead CNES on 26 March, succeeding Philippe Baptiste. [source]
- 2025 CNES's MicroCarb atmospheric-CO2 satellite launches on 26 July. [source]
- 2026 Ariane 6 flies its second four-booster mission from the Guiana Space Centre on 30 April, launching another batch of Amazon's Leo satellites. [source]
- 2026 CNES unveils the Idefix rover, developed with DLR for JAXA's MMX mission to Phobos, on 6 August. [source]
- 2026 Thomas Pesquet begins training in September for the 2027 Vast-PAM-1 mission, which will be the first to fly three ESA astronauts together. [source]
Team
- François JacqPresident · source
Signals
- Verification
- Verified 2026-09-09
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Frequently asked about CNES
Quick answers to the questions readers most often search for.
- When was CNES founded?
- CNES was founded in 1961 in France.
- Where is CNES headquartered?
- CNES is headquartered in Paris, France.
- What does CNES do?
- The Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) is France's national space agency, established in 1961 and headquartered in Paris. CNES is responsible for shaping and implementing French space policy and manages an annual budget of €3.029 billion (2024), making it one of Europe's largest space agencies. The agency operat…
- What sector does CNES operate in?
- CNES works in space agency, Government and Launch services.
Sources
The structured fields on this page (founding year, location, sector, status, listing) and the profile text are drawn from the sources below. How profiles are drafted and checked is described in our methodology.
- Official website (cnes.fr)
- Company LinkedIn page
- Wikidata / Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-09-04
- CNES: CNES at a Glance · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Wikipedia: Centre national d'études spatiales · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Wikipedia: François Jacq · retrieved 2026-09-09
- CNES: Vast-PAM-1 Mission — French astronaut Thomas Pesquet begins his space training (9 Sep 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- CNES: Ariane 6 ramps up with second four-booster flight (30 Apr 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- CNES: MMX Idefix rover to carry messages from Earthlings to Phobos (6 Aug 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Wikipedia: MicroCarb · retrieved 2026-09-09
- Wikipedia: Guiana Space Centre · retrieved 2026-09-09
Data Accuracy Notice: Information about CNES is compiled from publicly available sources including company websites, press releases, regulatory filings, and industry reports. Data is reviewed periodically but may not reflect the most recent developments.