In 2001, “OHB Teledata AG” went public, laying the foundation for the company’s continued success. At that time, the company generated total revenue of EUR 15 million and employed 125 people. Today’s OHB SE (ISIN DE0005936124, Prime Standard) is one of the few companies from the Neuer Markt that is still publicly traded and successful.
“Going public was a huge step for us back then. We were a relatively small company, and initially we were listed on the stock exchange solely through our telematics division,” recalls Marco Fuchs, who has served as CEO since the IPO. “We went public at EUR 10.50 per share and raised EUR 24.15 million for the company. That was a lot of money back then. From the very beginning, we felt a sense of obligation to our shareholders and respected the fact that they placed their trust in us.” Together with Ulrich Schulz (1951–2023), OHB’s first engineer and a long-time member of the Executive Board, Marco Fuchs had prepared for the IPO, attended numerous conferences and roadshows, and readied himself for the adventure of going public.
The initial public offering enabled the company to invest in future-oriented projects, such as the development of telematics terminals for transportation, and to acquire stakes in companies such as ORBCOMM and MegaTel. In 2002, the space division was added through the acquisition of OHB System AG, and OHB became a publicly traded space company. With a total of 292 employees and total revenue of EUR 79 million, the SAR-Lupe project—the first space-based radar reconnaissance system for the German Armed Forces—which had been secured the previous year, became the first major milestone in the company’s history.
Going public brought about changes within the company. “Of course, we became more transparent and data-driven, but that was good for us. Still, we’ve stayed true to our roots. The annual shareholder meetings, for example, were always a real family celebration. There were many shareholders who had been with us since day one, and they loved coming every year for the asparagus dinner and hearing the latest news from the space industry,” says Marco Fuchs.
The company has always grown through its own efforts. Even the inorganic growth through which the group has steadily established itself as a European space systems provider was achieved through its own efforts. Numerous successful space projects such as the first European satellite navigation system Galileo, the third-generation European weather satellites, Meteosat Third Generation, or the German radar reconnaissance system SARah in the SPACE SYSTEMS segment, an ongoing success story in critical rocket components for the European Ariane rocket program, and the development of a small rocket at Rocket Factory Augsburg (ACCESS TO SPACE segment), and the thriving downstream, operations, and telematics business (DIGITAL segment) have made OHB a key player in the space industry today.
Since its initial public offering, the company has continued to grow and has evolved into a leading European space group with an expected total revenue of approximately EUR 1.2 billion for the 2025 fiscal year and a workforce of around 3,800 employees.
Continuity and a focus on long-term growth
As the majority shareholder, the founding family remains deeply involved in the company and, by ensuring stability and continuity, maintains a clear focus on sustainable growth.
“On the one hand, we’re a very traditional family business. My parents treated OHB almost like a third child, and even today, OHB is always a topic of conversation in our family. However, being publicly traded has made us much more structured than we used to be, and I also believe that our customers appreciate the transparency that comes with it. And with private equity, we’ve introduced a third culture that’s doing us a world of good,” says Marco Fuchs.
Publication of the consolidated financial statements on March 19, 2026
OHB SE’s audited 2025 consolidated financial statements will be discussed in detail at the earnings press conference scheduled for March 19, 2026, and at the earnings presentation to follow on the same day, and will also be available for download on the OHB SE website.
