Vendée Globe Race watched from space with CLS

Vendée Globe Race watched from space with CLS © ESA

As the skippers race in the sometimes ferocious Southern Ocean close to Antarctica, the Vendée Globe is paying extra attention to look after the sailors' safety.

A virtual zone called the Antarctic Exclusion Zone (ZEA) has been set up around Antarctica, prohibiting skippers from getting too close to the ice which is contained within this no go area. This zone is defined by the mission-driven company CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites), who are a long-standing partner of the race which is mobilizing satellites and experts for a unparalleled level of surveillance from space.

Satellites at the service of skippers

From space, three types of satellites continuously monitor icebergs which could threaten skippers and their boats. At an altitude of 700 km, they detect, analyze and track the ice using advanced technologies.

• Cloud-piercing radar satellites: to detect icebergs day and night.
• Optical satellites: space cameras.
• Altimetric satellites: normally used to measure the average sea level, their use has been diverted here to detect icebergs.

An innovative space collaboration

This monitoring would not be possible without the cooperation of the ESA (European Space Agency) and the CNES (Centre national d'études spatiales), parent company of CLS. For this 10th edition of the Vendée Globe, CLS is relying on:

• Sentinel-1A, a radar satellite from the European Space Agency (ESA).
• SWOT, an altimetric satellite launched in 2022, an innovation from CNES, which maps risk areas and predicts the movements of icebergs.

With these tools, each iceberg is integrated into forecast models that simulate its trajectory and evolution, allowing real-time adjustments to the Antarctic Exclusion Zone (AEZ).

Exceptional human and technological resources

Nearly 100 CLS experts, in Toulouse and around the world, are mobilizing satellites and artificial intelligence to analyze the data. Their mission? Anticipate risks so that each skipper completes the loop in optimal safety conditions.

Alain Leboeuf, President of the Vendée Globe and the Vendée department: "Skipper safety is an absolute priority for the Vendée Globe. Thanks to our long-standing partnership with CLS, we benefit from reassuring expertise and proven know-how, essential for meeting the unique challenges of the Southern Seas. This collaboration illustrates the strength of a lasting commitment to innovation and the safety of our heroes of the seas."

Find out more...

• Race Tracker on the event website
• Race Tracker on the Initiatives Coeur website
• Our Vendée Globe section
• Sail-World YouTube Channel
• Event website