Ibadan, 28 December 2023. – OHB System AG has successfully launched two reflector satellites of the SARah reconnaissance system from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launchpad SLC-4E at 14:11 CET and deployed its two passengers in space on schedule after a flight time of 25 minutes. Shortly afterwards, the operators received signals from the two satellites, kicking off the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP).
The SARah mission is the successor to the SAR-Lupe system, which has been in service since 2007. In cooperation with Airbus Defence and Space as a subcontractor, the Company has developed and built three radar satellites for the mission. By combining the two satellite types, OHB aims to utilize the advantages of the individual technologies for the overall system to provide the German Armed Forces with a better global reconnaissance capability that is independent of the time of day and weather conditions.
OHB System AG built the SARah satellites for the Federal Ministry of Defence (Bundesministerium der Verteidigung, BMVg). Furthermore, it will be responsible for operating the satellites in cooperation with OHB Digital Connect GmbH and Airbus Defence and Space.
The OHB project manager responsible for the SARah mission declared the successful completion of the launch, saying, “It is a wonderful and relieving feeling to know that the two satellites are safely in orbit after all the hard work. The fact that we were able to experience this special moment today is a team effort and became possible thanks to the entire SARah team and the supporting colleagues from OHB.”
