Heinrich Hertz (H2Sat)

Heinrich Hertz [OHB]

The german Heinrich Hertz or H2Sat aims to explore and test new communications technologies in space at a technical and scientific level in order to determine how broadband communications, for example, can result in high data rates for mobile final users.

The development is performed by OHB System on behalf of the space agency of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) using funding provided by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) with the participation of the Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg). The contract to build, launch and operate the satellite was signed with OHB in June 2017.

As well as this, the mission will offer universities, research institutes and industry a platform for conducting numerous scientific/technical experiments. The selection of the new German satellite SGEO will simultaneously support the goal systematically being pursued by ESA and Germany in the ARTES 11 program of building up system skills in this area in Europe and extending German capabilities in the area of satellites and telecommunications payloads.

Mission objectives are:

• Scientific/technical verification of hardware and software and scientific experiments in the area of communications.
• Preparations/testing of pre-operational satcom services for German (public-sector) users.

Besides the scientific and technological part of the mission on behlf of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), there is also a cooperation with the German Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) to provide additional and independent communications for the German armed forces (Bundeswehr).

OHB buildt the satellite based on the SmallGEO bus. Heinrich Hertz was launched in July 2023.