OHB has supposedly managed to "unstuck" the antennas on the two SARah reflector satellites it launched for the Bundeswehr at the end of 2023. This was supposedly achieved through a series of "complex maneuvers" in the last few weeks.
The two satellites launched through SpaceX, after reaching orbit, could not unfurl their antennas, meaning they could not go into service. There were lengthy discussions on financial repercussions for OHB (with insurance companies etc involved), which in April this year ended in a settlement that OHB would need to either bring them into service or replace the satellites for the Bundeswehr. They already accomodated a 38 million budget for starting to build two replacement satellites for this year. Therefore since the satellites were apparently already written off as a loss they decided to risk what ever "complex maneuvers" they had to do.
SARah 2 and 3 aka FM1 and FM2, the two satellites concerned, are basically upscaled, modernized version of the previously used SAR-Lupe constellation, with fairly large reflector antennas. The third satellite of the constellation - SARah 1 built by Airbus -is not identical to them, uses an active phased array radar and is operational in orbit since earlier in 2023.
The two satellites launched through SpaceX, after reaching orbit, could not unfurl their antennas, meaning they could not go into service. There were lengthy discussions on financial repercussions for OHB (with insurance companies etc involved), which in April this year ended in a settlement that OHB would need to either bring them into service or replace the satellites for the Bundeswehr. They already accomodated a 38 million budget for starting to build two replacement satellites for this year. Therefore since the satellites were apparently already written off as a loss they decided to risk what ever "complex maneuvers" they had to do.
SARah 2 and 3 aka FM1 and FM2, the two satellites concerned, are basically upscaled, modernized version of the previously used SAR-Lupe constellation, with fairly large reflector antennas. The third satellite of the constellation - SARah 1 built by Airbus -is not identical to them, uses an active phased array radar and is operational in orbit since earlier in 2023.