AsterX 2024: what is this French military space exercise which is currently being held in Occitanie ?

Le patch d'un commandant lors d'AsterX en 2021. REUTERS POOL – STEPHANE MAHE/POOL

Depuis ce lundi 4, et jusqu’au 15 mars prochain, se tient sur le site Toulousain du Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) l'AsterX 2024, un exercice spatial militaire français.

For the fourth time, the event which is organized by the Space Command (CDE) and which will bring together 140 participants, civil and military, French and foreign , is currently being held in Toulouse, indicates the government Defense website. During these ten days, participants will simulate a space war through a fictitious geopolitical scenario, indicates BFMTV.

Combat emerging threats

The event takes place at the National Center for Space Studies in Toulouse in Occitanie. AsterX, which owes its name to the first French military satellite launched in 1965, will have to simulate space war in all its forms, indicates the news channel.

The military as well as civilians will have to face a fictitious geopolitical scenario, but which will resemble "current and future threats". It will feature "23 space events, on all orbits, 4 000 space objects simulated to face fourteen different types of threats", explains the government site.

Lancement de l’exercice #AsterX 2024 !🛰️ Exercice spatial militaire simulé du Commandement de l’Espace (CDE) avec la participation cette année de 15 nations 🇦🇺,🇨🇦,🇮🇹,🇬🇧,🇺🇸,🇩🇪,🇦🇹,🇧🇪,🇰🇷,🇦🇪,🇪🇸,🇯🇵,🇵🇱,🇵🇹,🇷🇴 et du centre d’excellence de l’OTAN.

On vous montre ?⤵️ https://t.co/jmWyjyq4Ot pic.twitter.com/u04t6M3BkW

— Armée française – Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) March 1, 2024

The exercises will be as immersive as possible, so participants will be confronted with the restriction of their freedom but also with the technical and tactical difficulties of a real battle. "Together, these actors from diverse backgrounds will confront emerging threats to develop a common culture of military space operations, the basis of reinforced strategic solidarity", details the Air Force.

During AsterX 2024, no less than 15 nations will be represented: namely USA, Romania, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Australia, South Korea South, UAE, Germany, Canada, Poland, Austria. These participating military personnel will be accompanied by institutional and industrial partners.

The Toulouse event is therefore a real military exercise for space units as well as command units.