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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
National

French satellite constellation tracks criminal 'dark ships' at sea

Unseenlabs satellite was one of 34 blasted into orbit on the Electron rocket from Rocket Lab's launch pad on the Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand, on 3 May 2022. AP - Rocket Lab

Brittany-based company Unseenlabs has launched its seventh satellite to monitor so-called "dark ships" – which prefer to go under the radar – from space, boosting the fight against illegal fishing, drug trafficking and marine pollution.

The BRO-7 satellite was put into low orbit on Tuesday by Rocket Lab's Electron mini rocket fired from New Zealand. The deployment comes a month after BRO-6 was launched by SpaceX's Falcon 9.

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