Atos to evolve CNES's customizable flight software and maintain it for the next five years

Press Release

Atos to evolve CNES's customizable flight software and maintain it for the next five years

Paris, France – 16 December 2024 – Atos today announces it has been selected by The Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) to update and maintain its customizable flight software solution (LVCUGEN) for satellites and spacecraft. This new five-year contract reflects CNES's continued trust in Atos as a reliable technology partner.

Atos has partnered with CNES since 2019 on the development of LVCUGEN software components. This reusable customizable framework provides a solid foundation for embedded software development. LVCUGEN is based on software components, rigorous production processes and specific tools. Adaptable and modular, the solution can be customized by users according to their needs.

As the head development and maintenance partner for LVCUGEN, Atos ensures that the solution meets the requirements of CNES's current and future space programs and enables academic and industrial users to maximize the use of the technology and deploy its full potential in their projects.

By implementing a DevOps approach combined with open-source technologies, Atos promotes collaboration between space stakeholders to ensure the highest levels of quality while reducing costs and accelerating the development and production of embedded software based on the LVCUGEN software platform. Users benefit from an optimized environment and reduced validation times thanks to automation that complies with ECSS¹ standards. This technical and organizational framework was developed by the European space community to guarantee the quality, safety and efficiency of projects carried out by all space stakeholders.

"Atos supports the smooth operation and evolution of our customizable embedded software development solution. The increasingly widespread adoption of this innovative architecture by our industrial, scientific and academic partners is a success for CNES and positions Atos as a key partner in our current and future major space programs," said Pierre-Baptiste Lambert, Head of the Flight Software Department, CNES.

"Thanks to our in-depth knowledge of the space field, our expertise in embedded software and our long-term commitment to CNES, Atos has perfectly met the challenges of reusability, reliability and cost optimization that are so critical in the development of spaceflight software," said Thomas Legras, Agency Director, Space Sector, Atos.

The LVCUGEN multi-target solution has been successfully deployed in the JUICE, N3SS, EyeSat, Angels, Kineis and SVOM space missions and the MMX Mars mission's IDEFIX rover, demonstrating its ability to meet the space industry's most ambitious challenges across multiple types of architectures, from traditional satellites to New Space nanosatellites.

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About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with c. 82,000 employees and annual revenue of c. € 10 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 69 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea) and listed on Euronext Paris.

The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

About CNES

Created in 1961, CNES is a programme agency, a technical centre and a space operator, bringing together all the functions that enable the French government to define and implement its space strategy, as well as to deploy public policies that require the support of the space sector (land management, agriculture, health, telecommunications, natural disasters, defence, etc.).

CNES ensures the availability of all the operational resources necessary for launches, positioning of spacecraft and space operations in orbit. CNES is an operator of vital importance (OIV), identified by the State as having activities essential to the survival of the nation. France, represented by CNES, is one of the main contributors to the European Space Agency (ESA).

To find out more about CNES, visit https://cnes.fr/en

Press contact

Isabelle Grangé - France | isabelle.grange@atos.net | +33 (0) 6 64 56 74 88

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1 European Cooperation for Space Standardization

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• Atos to evolve CNES customizable flight software and maintain it for the next five years