SpaceX deploys SARAH-2 satellite into low-earth orbit

Sunday, December 24, 2023, SpaceX launched SARah-2 satellite mission into low-Earth orbit at 14:11 CET from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The booster used for this mission completed its eighth flight and previously supported SDA-0A and six Starlink missions.

“It is a wonderful and relieving feeling to know that the two satellites are safely in orbit after all the hard work,” said the OHB project manager responsible for SARah mission.

SARah is a follow-up for the SAR-Lupe system, which has been in service since 2007. The satellite was developed in cooperation with Airbus Defence and Space as a subcontractor for a total of three radar satellites.

It includes a phased array satellite and two identical reflector satellites based on SAR-Lupe’s proven technology. These satellites are used by the German Armed Forces with an improved global reconnaissance capability.

The mission used the Falcon 9 reusable, two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX to deliver payload into the earth’s orbit. It is tall at 229 ft, 12 ft in diameter, 1,207,920 mass, and 22,800 kilograms of payload capacity.

(source – SpaceX)