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| Germany Launches Military Satellite SARah 1 |
Vandenberg - Germany launches military radar satellite SARah 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, located on the Pacific coast between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
SARah 1 is the first synthetic aperture radar imaging satellite of three satellites ordered by the German government. Airbus' billion-dollar satellite carries "the latest highest-resolution radar technology".
These satellites are able to collect high-resolution imagery in all weather, day and night from sites around the world for the German military. The SARah 1 satellite, which weighs about four tons, is managed by the German Defense Procurement Agency.
The SARah 1 satellite carries an active phased array radar antenna, which builds on technology developed for the TerraSAR, TanDEM-X and Paz radar observation satellites.
Quoted from Spaceflightnow. This technology offers the advantages of very fast pinpointing and highly flexible antenna beam shaping to deliver images in a short amount of time.
Secrets The SARah 1 radar imaging satellite has the ability to detect the earth's surface even in dark conditions and cloud cover. Usually dark conditions and cloud cover make it difficult for optical spy satellites to detect objects at ground level.
Today, without satellites, reconnaissance, communication and navigation are almost impossible," the German military said in a press release earlier this month. There will be three SARah satellites launched to replace the German military constellation of five SAR-Lupe satellites launched from 2006 to 2008.
SARah 1 is the first of three radar imaging satellites ordered by the German government. The two smaller SARah military satellites will fly with passive synthetic aperture radar reflectors. The German military said the second and third SARah satellites would be launched on Falcon 9 rockets later this year.
The new SARah satellite ensures that the German military has the capability for worldwide imaging reconnaissance without time or weather constraints. At the same time, they provide support in early detection and crisis management," the German military said.
SpaceX will send the SARah 1 satellite into orbit as high as 100 km and embark on a 10-long mission to provide reconnaissance imagery to the German military. Saturday's flight from California will be the 159th Falcon 9 rocket launch overall, and the 24th from Vandenberg.