Bundeswehr shoots SARah into space

With the successful launch of the two remaining reflector satellites, the Bundeswehr completes the space-based SARah reconnaissance system. A Falcon-9 rocket from SpaceX launched with both satellites on board on December 24, 2023 at 5:11 a.m. local time (2:11 p.m. CET) from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California (USA) into space.

"With today's launch, we not only complete the SARah constellation. This milestone is another step towards providing the troops with improved, worldwide, and day-and-weather-independent reconnaissance capability in the future," said the project manager from the Bundeswehr Procurement Office on the occasion of the Christmas Eve launch. The next goal is now full operational capability by September 2024.

Already in mid-November, the satellites were delivered to California by a transport aircraft from the US Air Force from Ramstein Air Base. Since their arrival in Vandenberg, the satellites have undergone several final checks before launch, the so-called launch campaign, without any issues.

Shortly after the launch, the first contact from the ground segment to the satellites was established, marking the beginning of the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP). The various systems of the satellites are now being powered up and individual functions checked before the new spacecraft is steered into its final orbit.

The SARah system consists of a ground segment connected to two ground stations, and a Phased Array satellite launched into orbit in June 2022. The combination of the two satellite technologies enables the delivery of extensive reconnaissance results and also supports early crisis detection and crisis management.

The designation SARah is a play on words, consisting of the abbreviation for Synthetic Aperture Radar (an imaging radar technique) and the attached "ah".

BUNDESWEHR Online