New German military reconnaissance satellites face unresolved technical problems that have prevented full operation for months, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said on Friday.
Two of the three satellites of the SARah system have not yet been put into operational service "due to technical limitations," the spokesman said.
The SARah satellite system is based on an imaging radar technique known as synthetic aperture radar. It allows military reconnaissance independent of time of day and weather.
In January, the German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, announced a partial operational deployment of the SARah satellite system, stating that compared to its predecessor system, SAR-Lupe, reconnaissance capabilities would be significantly improved.
The images, they said, would be more detailed and accessible more quickly. The new system for global imaging reconnaissance consists of three satellites.
According to the Defence Ministry, the Bremen-based company OHB, the main contractor for the entire system, delivered two of these satellites.
These were launched into Earth's orbit in December 2023 and are now encountering problems. "All attempts by OHB to resolve the problems have so far been unsuccessful," the spokesman said.
The satellites remain the property of OHB. A third satellite was supplied by Airbus Defence and Space as a subcontractor and has been operational since October 2023.
The Bundeswehr had described the launch of the system into orbit as a milestone. Now, a Plan B must be developed.
"In the coming weeks, we will develop a plan together with the OHB firm in case the satellites' functionality cannot be restored," said the ministry spokesman.
He added, "The Bundeswehr's satellite-based reconnaissance capability is still guaranteed."