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a. CLS Profile

CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites)

CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites) LLC was created in 1986, its main shareholders being CNES (the French Space Agency, 55%), IFREMER (The French Marine Institute, 15%), and a group of Banks for 30%. In addition to its staff of 215 at the Headquarters in Toulouse and 60 in the subsidiaries and offices worldwide (USA, Peru, Indonesia, Chile, Australia, Korea, Japan, Russia), most of which are doctors and engineers, CLS offers a wide network of agents and distributors on all continents, and serves a total of over 80 countries.

CLS main missions

  • Satellite payload operations
  • Promotion, marketing of products and services derived from satellite-based information
  • Ground segment design, installation and operations dedicated to the study and protection of environment through location, data collection and remote sensing satellite-borne systems.

Satellite systems operated by CLS

  • Argos: environmental geolocation and data collection
  • Doris: accurate orbit of satellites and high resolution ground positioning
  • Topex-Poseïdon, ERS2, Jason, Envisat: altimetry data
    NOAA: temperature
  • Sarsat: Search and Rescue, for the account of the French Maritime Affairs and Civil Aviation Authority within the French area of responsibility

CLS main services

  • Argos: to date, more than 17,000 Argos transmitters are active worldwide. These are deployed to study and protect the environment within the following fields:
    • Oceanography: study of currents
    • Meteorology: recording, transmission and worldwide distribution of in situ meteorological data
    • Hydrology: monitoring of hydrological basins, water resources monitoring
    • Wildlife: tracking of animal migrations, protection of endangered species
    • Marine resources management: turnkey systems for fisheries surveillance dedicated to fisheries administrations
    • Dangerous goods: monitoring of transportation, of industrial and natural risks
  • Doris: calculation of accurate satellite orbits (Spot 2*, *Spot 4, Topex, Jason, Envisat, and soon Spot 5, Helios 2 and Cryosat)
  • Processing and distribution of remote sensing data for the fishing industry, shipping industry or the oceanographic research institutes:
    • Altimetry
    • Sea Surface Temperature
    • Ocean color
    • Meteorology
    • Marine transportation routing
    • Radar: detection of targets at sea, detection of intentional or accidental oil pollutions
    • Operational surveillance of illegal fishing activity
    • Detection and tracking of icebergs and oil slicks

CLS also designs and develops ground segments for national or international space agencies, within the implementation of new satellite systems or the refurbishment of existing systems.

CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites)

8/10 rue Hermès,
31520 Ramonville St Agne, France
tél : 05 61 39 47 00
E-mail info@cls.fr
Website www.cls.fr