The fifth German SAR-Lupe reconnaissance satellite was successfully launched from the Russian space center Plesetsk south of Archangelsk during the morning hours of July 22nd. The Russian Cosmos 3M launch vehicle lifted off on schedule at 4:40:09 hours CEST. The radar satellite was released into its low-altitude orbit at a distance of around 500 km above the earth’s surface approximately half an hour later. The first contact between the control center at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen and the satellite was established at 5:43:13 hours CEST. A preliminary check of all vital functions showed that the satellite is operating perfectly. Work on putting the satellite into operation has already commenced. SAR-Lupe 5 marks the completion of Germany’s first satellite-based reconnaissance system. The constellation is comprised of five identical small satellites and a ground segment for managing the satellites and receiving and processing the radar images.
For OHB-System AG, which developed the entire system for the German Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) and lead-managed a consortium of well-known European space technology companies, this launch marks the completion of a further chapter in its success story. With the SAR-Lupe system, the German Federal Armed Forces have been able to retrieve information in top quality from almost anywhere in the world regardless of light and weather conditions since December 2007. Control of the fifth SAR-Lupe satellite is currently still in the hands of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), pending transfer to the German Federal Armed Forces. The ground station of the German Federal Armed Forces in Gelsdorf is tracking the satellite at the same time and will assume operative responsibility around four weeks later. The SAR-Lupe system will achieve full deployment status this fall.
