The first satellite in Germany’s SAR-Lupe system was placed into orbit Dec. 19 by a Russian Cosmos 3M booster, satellite prime contractor OHB-System announced.
The system of five identical satellites, which will be operated by the German armed forces, is designed to provide high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images to NATO military commanders in Europe beginning in January. Each spacecraft provides a imagery with a spatial resolution of less than 1 meter and can collect data at night and through clouds.
Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport and Germany’s Cosmos International Satellitenstart Gmbh, a subsidiary of OHB Systems, signed a contract in 2003 for the launch of five satellites by 2009. The four remaining satellites will be launched at intervals of four to six months.