OHB-System AG… A Proper European MILSATCOM Grounding With Two Contracts

OHB-System AG, a member of the European space and technology group OHB Technology AG (Prime Standard, ISIN: DE0005936124), has been awarded contracts under the E-SGA program (Europeanization of Satellite-Based Reconnaissance) providing for the operation of the French ground station of the SAR-Lupe system and the German ground station of the Helios II system. The two contracts have a combined value of EUR 14.0 million.

As part of the binational collaboration between France and Germany in the area of satellite-based reconnaissance, OHB-System AG has implemented a further SAR-Lupe ground station in France, allowing the French army to directly access the reconnaissance information collected by the German SAR-Lupe radar satellite system. On April 1, 2010, the German Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) awarded OHB a contract to operate this ground station for a period of 5 years. This contract has a volume of EUR 7.6 million.

Similarly, the German federal armed forces are able to access the image data created by the two French optical reconnaissance satellites HELIOS 2A and 2B via the German HELIOS II ground station. Astrium France subcontracted the operation of this ground station to OHB-System AG on May 3, 2010. Valued at EUR 6.4 million, the contract provides for the operation of the ground station from July 2010 until July 2013.

The two ground systems are currently undergoing testing together with the multinational extensions to the SAR-Lupe ground segment, with operations to commence in July 2010. OHB-System AG is already operating the five SAR-Lupe German radar satellites and the related ground segment for the German federal armed forces.