OHB fast-track telecommunication satellite successfully in operation

Bremen, 2021 January 26. OHB Cosmos International Launch Services GmbH, a company of OHB SE’s newly established business segment OHB DIGITAL, successfully launched the telecommunication satellite GMS-T on board an Electron launcher last week. Less than one week after the launch and less than 7 month from start of OHB’s engineering activities for this project, the satellite is fully operational and OHB is receiving payload signals at its Bremen site since yesterday. Located at an 1200km / 90 degree orbit, the satellite has proven full functionality and its performance has overachieved specified values, in particular in signal quality. All elements of the new variant of OHB Swedens Innosat platform as well as of OHB Cosmos communication payload are working as planned.

The main purpose of GMS-T, fully owned and operated by OHB Cosmos in space, is in-orbit testing and validation (IOT/IOV) of OHBs new technology radio payload and spacecraft platform. OHB Cosmos engineered and integrated the telecommunications payload, which was only possible in time due to the performance and reactivity of its main suppliers MDA, Arralis and IQ Wireless. OHB Cosmos is responsible for all planned test sequences and the operation of the satellite for the whole operational lifetime until entry into the automatic deorbiting phase. Besides testing, this first satellite will also bring into use ITU (International Telecommunication Union) registered frequencies.
“We are proud to be able to announce today that our new space design satellite, in our full intellectual property, has reached full performance in an unmatched contract-to-operation time,” said Dr. Lutz Bertling, Chief Digital Officer of OHB Group.

The satellite in the 50 kg class is based on OHB Sweden’s Innosat platform. OHB Sweden as system integrator has been responsible for the satellite platform, the integration and testing of the overall satellite and is – after an initial phase - planned to operate the satellite on behalf of OHB Cosmos. A further company from the OHB family was involved: The entire spacecraft structural analysis work was performed by OHB Czechspace.
“With outstanding agility, reactiveness and flexibility, OHB and its key partners MDA, Arralis, IQ Wireless and Rocket Lab were able to engineer, assemble, test and launch this satellite on short notice. We would like to thank our employees and our partners for their outstanding contribution to this great achievement. The New Space Approach applied shows the capabilities of OHB and its partners to respond to today’s customer requirements for rapid responses for space based applications,” said Dr. Lutz Bertling.