March 31, 2014

Meeting of CNES Board of Directors - Decisions on SWOT and CERES

Meeting today for the first time in 2014, the CNES Board of Directors reached decisions on the next phases of the SWOT and CERES programmes. The Board also examined the Agency's internal processes.


The Board of Directors examined the status of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission and authorized CNES to sign the agreement with NASA defining the respective roles of the two agencies in this collaborative mission. CNES will supply the satellite bus, the Radio Frequency Unit (RFU) for the KaRIN instrument (Ka-band Radar INterferometer), the DORIS instrument (Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite) and the Nadir altimeter for the SWOT mission. CNES will also be responsible for the satellite command and control centre, the network of data receiving stations and the French ground segment, which will archive, process and distribute the data gathered. SWOT is scheduled to launch in 2019.
The Board of Directors also formalized the launch of the CERES programme (Capacité de Renseignement Electromagnétique Spatiale), which will provide the French Ministry of Defence with an operational space-based electromagnetic intelligence capability. The programme now has the official go-ahead, with the objective of detailed design, development and manufacture of the CERES system and in-orbit positioning and checkout of the satellites by the end of the decade.
In addition, the Board of Directors also heard the annual report on risk management, internal control and audit. Like last year's report, it reveals a positive dynamic and encourages CNES to pursue its current strategy to ensure that the Agency has a robust system of internal governance in place, based on the best practices recommended by its overseeing authorities and applied in the world of business.

CNES press contacts
Alain Delrieu Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 74 04 alain.delrieu@cnes.fr
Julien Watelet Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 78 37 julien.watelet@cnes.fr
Pascale Bresson Tel: +33 (0)1 44 76 75 39 pascale.bresson@cnes.fr
www.cnes.fr/presse