[SatNews] “These missions are very meaningful as the first contracted for a European government.”

Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) will provide the launch services for Germany’s second-generation radar reconnaissance satellite system. The satellites, provided by OHB System AG and Astrium GmbH, will replace the current constellation and will be delivered to orbit by two Falcon 9 rockets in 2018 and 2019.

  "SpaceX looks forward to working with OHB and Astrium, and we appreciate their confidence in SpaceX to reliably deliver these satellites to orbit,” said Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President and COO. “These missions are very meaningful for SpaceX as the first contracted for a European government.”

OHB will build two passive-antenna synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, and Astrium GmbH will build a larger, phased-array-antenna satellite under contract

02.07.2013 the announcement of OHB System AG awarded contract for the development and integration of the SARah radar satellite reconnaissance system for the German federal armed forces

for OHB. The three-satellite constellation will replace the current OHB-built five-satellite SAR-Lupe constellation.