Fast, precise, cost-effective: OHB Sweden, a subsidiary of the space technology group OHB, has won a major contract worth EUR 248 million for the development and construction of 20 small satellites. These satellites will form the new European satellite constellation known as the \u201cEUMETSAT Polar System-Sterna,\u201d or EPS-Sterna for short. The basis for this is the Arctic Weather Satellite (AWS), which OHB Sweden successfully launched into orbit as a demonstrator over a year ago. The subsidiary of OHB SE developed the small satellite on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA) in record time using a deliberately chosen New Space approach. Only three years elapsed between the award of the contract and the launch. For the first time, the Swedish space company will now build a large constellation.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cOHB Sweden has developed a high-performance satellite in an exceptionally short time and demonstrated what is possible with clear objectives. We can do New Space\u2014the Arctic Weather Satellite, which now forms the basis of a large constellation, has impressively proven this,\u201d said OHB CEO Marco Fuchs on the occasion of the contract award. \u201cWe are proud of our team in Sweden and grateful for the trust of our partners, who believe in our ability to build a large satellite constellation. I am delighted that with EPS-Sterna we are strengthening Europe\u2019s leading position in Earth observation and that Sweden is receiving the largest satellite contract in its space history to date.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
The polar regions play a central role in global climate patterns, yet they remain underserved in terms of weather data because geostationary weather satellites cannot cover high latitudes. The AWS demonstrator has shown how a small satellite equipped with a microwave radar can provide precise temperature and humidity profiles of the atmosphere\u2014even through dense clouds and extreme polar weather conditions.
\u201cThis contract represents an extraordinary milestone for OHB Sweden and for the entire Swedish space community. We built the precursor satellite for this constellation, the Arctic Weather Satellite, and demonstrated the satellite\u2019s operational capability as well as the quality of the data it collects to improve European weather forecasting. The EPS Sterna contract demonstrates that we and our partners are ready to take a leading role in strengthening critical space infrastructure for Europe,\u201d said Fredrik Sj\u00f6berg, Managing Director of OHB Sweden.<\/p>\n\n