Three Is A Charm For SAR-Lupe

The third SAR-Lupe satellite was boosted into orbit today from the Plesetsk Space Center by a Russian Cosmos-3M rocket. The lift-off occurred at 1:51 a.m., CET. The satellite will provide high-res images to the German Ministry of Defense. Thales Alenia Space supplied the Sensor Electronic units that form the core of the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which comprise radio frequency, processing and control sub units. This program has a life span of some 10 years and comprises a five small satellite constellation. The identical satellites will be positioned into 3 quasi-polar orbital planes at 500 km altitude, plus a ground segment.




A consortium of 13 European companies was responsible for the construction and launch of the five satellites. OHB-System AG, as the prime contractor, led the team. The first of the SAR-Lupe satellites was launched on December 19, 2006. The second satellite was launched on July 3, 2007. Both of these sats are now supplying high-res images and are operating successfully and reliably. Two more such spacecraft are scheduled for launch at intervals of four to six months until the constellation is complete in 2008. The satellites can obtain images under any weather or light conditions and provide images in X-band. They offer a spatial resolution of less than 1 meter and may also operate in “spot light” mode to improve that resolution. The ground segments for SAR-Lupe and the French Helios II systems, the two partner nations, will be interconnected, so each country can use the other’s satellite for image reception—Cannes, France