07:41 GMT, July 25, 2008 July 22, 2008, 4:39 am (CET), early in the morning at Plesetsk Cosmodrome, a Russian spaceport, located in Arkhangelsk Oblast, about 800 km north of Moscow and south of Arkhangelsk. The sky is clear and it is not that cold this morning. There’s a kind of tension in the air….
All of sudden the silence broke. A mechanic “10,9,8,…” sounds from the loudspeaker.
Simultaneously, silence in the control center of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in the Bavarian Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich.
“…7,6,5,…” The crew here observes on large monitors the real-time images from Plesetsk and follows the countdown.
“…4,3,2,1, ...we have ignition....and liftoff of Cosmos-3M.”
In both places applaud pursued this sentence. The strains of the military and civil specialists dissolve noticeably.
The Russian Cosmos-3M (11K65M) space launch vehicle flies as predicted. But far more important then the rocket is its cargo: The fifth and last SAR-Lupe satellite, which released into low-altitude orbit, half an hour later, completes Germany's first reconnaissance satellite system.
Together with its four identical sisters this satellite will operate in three 500-kilometer orbits in planes roughly sixty degrees apart. After 34 minutes the satellite enters his operational planes. “We are on plan.” The first signals arrives at the German Aerospace center 62 minutes after the launch confirming that now beside Russia and the USA also the German Bundeswehr has a highly developed radar-supported reconnaissance system in the orbit. The outstanding meaning of the launch of this fifth satellite for the German Armed Forces was particularly noticeable by the presence of Vice Admiral Wolfram Kühn, Deputy Chief of Staff of the German Federal Armed Forces and Inspector of the Joint Support Service as well as Lieutenant General Marzi, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Air Force on this morning. Both now are very satisfied.
Vice-Admiral Wolfram Kühn said in an official statement, that “SAR-Lupe provides the German Federal Armed Forces and, thus, Germany as a whole with an entirely new quality in support for the early detection of crisis, preemptive action and effective crisis management. The early and unhindered access to high-resolution satellite images is making a crucial contribution to our reconnaissance activities and thus enhances our ability to assess situations, take action and make the necessary decisions.”
In fact, SAR-Lupe will provide high-resolution ground images from almost anywhere in the world at day or night through all weather conditions to the German Ministry of Defence by using an X-band radar with a three-metre dish. SAR is an abbreviation for ‘Synthetic Aperture Radar’ and ‘Lupe’ is the German word for magnifying glass.
The entire SAR-Lupe system was developed by the German aeronautics company OHB-System AG from Bremen for the German Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB), while Thales Alenia Space provided the core of the Synthetic Aperture Radar sensors.
“This is a very special day for OHB. With the successful launch of the fifth satellite, an important development and integration programme has now come to a conclusion for our team. During this period, we have been able to impressively demonstrate our technological expertise and prove that we are a skilled and reliable partner for the German Federal Armed Forces,” said Prof. Manfred Fuchs, CEO of OHB-System AG. OHB lead-managed a consortium of well-known European space technology companies to realise this comprehensive system.
However, Vice Admiral Kühn also added that the system forms the basis for even closer collaboration between Germany and France, which commenced in January. Under the ESGA project (German acronym for “Europeanisation of Satellite-Based Reconnaissance”), OHB has created the technical basis for allowing France to use the German SAR-Lupe radar system. In return, Germany is able to access the French optical HELIOS II reconnaissance system. Other EU countries have been invited to join as well and Italy has shown considerable interest.
Full system operability of Germany’s satellite-based reconnaissance system is planned for autumn after a successful final inspection of the German BWB.
“In terms of military policy, SAR-Lupe puts Germany eye to eye with other countries with respect to satellite-based reconnaissance capabilities,” Vice Admiral Kühn said very proud on this morning.
