Recent operational developments have been marked by successes in the field of strategic testing, notably the successful launch of the SyLEx (Experiment Launch System) sounding rocket at 1.46 am on the night of 3 to 4 November, Paris time. Developed by ArianeGroup for the French defence procurement and technology agency (DGA) since 2021, SyLEx is designed for both civil and military applications.

The sounding rocket is a platform for experiments in the upper atmosphere and beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. Its development addresses a sovereignty issue: restoring France’s autonomous capability for suborbital flights and experimentation in these environments, a capability that has been lacking for several decades.

“This test confirms the restoration of France’s sovereign capability in sounding rockets,” states the DGA. It forms part of the very long-term development work linked to the M5 ballistic programme, following on from the complex operational launches already carried out from French SSBNs.