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Since its creation in 1962, CNES has maintained an important program of cooperation with the main American Space organisations.

This cooperation, mainly carried out with NASA, covers the following areas: observation of the Earth and its environment (TOPEX/POSEIDON, Jason and CALIPSO missions), space science, exploration of the solar system (especially Mars), astronomy, astrophysics, microgravity science and manned space flights, and data collection.

Observation of the Earth

In addition to the TOPEX/POSEIDON and Jason-1 programs, in late 1998 NASA and CNES decided to continue cooperating in this area with the Franco-American CALIPSO mission (formely ESSP3-CENA mission). This mission, scheduled to be launched in 2004, will study clouds and aerosols and their impact on the earth's radiation balance. CNES will provide a PROTEUS platform and infrared imaging instruments. To continue after Jason-1, in 2005 the Jason-2 mission should be realized, for a launch, within a partnership between CNES, NASA, EUMETSAT and NOAA.

Space Science

Franco-American cooperation in this area occurs through programs of the European Space Agency and as part of bilateral relations between CNES and NASA.

The major bilateral program for the coming years involves cooperation in the exploration of Mars. CNES, together with its American partners, is examining the possibilities of a partnership that will lead to the return of Martian soil samples at the first possible opportunity. The two agencies are currently negociating a Memorandum of Understanding defining the key aspects of this cooperation. An orbiter and netlanders provided by CNES will be the centerpierce of the mission planned for 2007, and the two organisations are studying the use of an ARIANE 5 rocket to carry them. CNES and NASA are also considering carrying out a series of small missions to Mars together.

This is the most recent development in a collaboration that has seen many French scientific instruments launched on missions carried out in conjunction with NASA: a largescale holographic network for the FUSE (Far Ultra Violet Spectroscopic Explorer) satellite, a relay for data collected by the Mars Global Surveyor, a gravimetric experiment as part of the NEAR (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) mission, and experiments in aerosol collection and pyrolysis from Saturn's moon Titan, as part of the Cassini Huyghens missions.

Sciences in Microgravity and Manned Space Flights

In October 1995, ministers of the ESA member countries decided to develop a European program to participate in the International Space Station. France is the second leading contributor to this program, which essentially involves the supply, by Europe, of a European laboratory, and automated transfer vehicles (ATV) launched by ARIANE. These ATVs will be used for logistical flights to the International Space Station.
French and American scientists have jointly developed several projects in areas such as life sciences and physics in microgravity. The Ramses, Kinelit, Biorack and Echographe experiments, developed in France, were launched on the space shuttle to study plant biology, cardiovascular regulation and electrophoresis. In April 2000, the "Kinelit and Development" experiments flew onboard the NEUROLAB mission. The STS-93 mission, which involved the French astronaut Michel Tognini in July 1999, also carried the French ICMS (Integrated Cardiovascular Monitoring System) experiment.

As for the French astronaut Philippe Perrin, (see picture) he will be making his first spaceflight on the American Shuttle in March 2002 (STS-111).

Data Collection

CNES and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) have long cooperated, operating the Argos and Cospas-Sarsat operational data collection systems.

Argos is an environmental data collection system, which has been operational since 1978; the payloads developed by CNES were launched on NOAA's polar meteorology satellites.

France and the United States have worked together since 1982 on an alert and rescue program called Cospas-Sarsat. NOAA has launched search and rescue payloads, supplied by France, on 4 satellites. Since the beginning of this program, thousands of lives have been saved.