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ATHENE-1 technology demonstrator successfully launched

October 2, 2026.

The ATHENE-1 technology demonstrator was successfully launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Developed and built by OHB LuxSpace together with the Bundeswehr University Munich, the small satellite lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-18 mission and was successfully deployed into low Earth orbit as planned.

ATHENE-1 is the centerpiece of the SeRANIS (Seamless Radio Access Networks for Internet of Space) research program, led by the Bundeswehr University Munich and funded by the Center for Digitalization and Technology Research of the Bundeswehr (dtec.bw). The project aims to accelerate the transition of innovative technologies from research into practical applications and demonstrate their value for future space capabilities.

With the successful launch, the mission now enters its operational phase. ATHENE-1 will serve as a technology demonstration and test platform for 22 scientific experiments. The mission focuses on advanced technologies for satellite communications and connectivity, intelligence and sensing applications, navigation, and AI-enabled data processing directly in orbit.

“The successful launch of ATHENE-1 is a major milestone for the entire project team and a strong example of what can be achieved through close collaboration between academia and industry,” said Marco Fuchs, CEO of OHB. “This mission lays the foundation for generating critical insights for future communications, navigation, and security applications. Recent developments have demonstrated just how important technological sovereignty and resilient space systems have become.”

Among other objectives, the nearly 300-kilogram ATHENE-1 satellite will test technologies for detecting, locating, and mitigating interference, helping to enhance the resilience of satellite-based navigation and communication systems. In addition, the mission will evaluate new approaches to intelligent signal and data processing as well as future applications for government and military users.

ATHENE-1 also reflects the transition toward software-defined and reconfigurable satellite systems. The technologies being demonstrated are designed to enable functions and applications to be adapted after launch, allowing satellites to respond more flexibly to evolving standards, mission requirements, and operational challenges.

Andreas Knopp, initiator and program manager of SeRANIS at the Bundeswehr University Munich, said: “When we began working on SeRANIS six years ago, our goal was to validate emerging key technologies in space as early as possible. With the successful launch of ATHENE-1, that vision has become reality. We could not have anticipated the geopolitical developments of recent years, but the mission’s flexible design has allowed us to incorporate new challenges and requirements as they emerged.”

“Modern military operations are not possible without operational support from space,” added Vice Admiral Dr. Thomas Daum, Inspector of the Cyber and Information Domain Service of the German Armed Forces. “Our vision for the future of the Bundeswehr is a networked, multi-orbit approach to sensing and data transmission involving at least several hundred satellites. SeRANIS, and ATHENE-1 in particular, are laying important foundations for building this architecture.”

The ATHENE-1 mission is based on LuxSpace’s modular Triton-X Heavy small satellite platform, combined with a multifunctional experimental payload developed by the Bundeswehr University Munich. Payload integration was carried out at OHB’s facility in Oberpfaffenhofen, while OHB Orbital Access managed the launch campaign.

“Our ESA-qualified Triton-X satellite platform proved ideally suited to managing the considerable complexity of the ATHENE-1 mission and its numerous innovative payloads. We are delighted to have contributed to this unique success and to have established a solid foundation for future ambitious projects with UniBw,” said Didier Schnitzler, Managing Director of OHB LuxSpace.

The German Space Operations Center (GSOC) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) provides the ground infrastructure required to transmit telemetry data, uplink commands, and monitor and control the satellite.

Following the successful launch, the satellite will undergo its initial operational phases and in-orbit commissioning over the coming days, before the scientific experiments are gradually activated. Planned as a multi-year mission, ATHENE-1 is expected to generate valuable insights for the next generation of satellite-based communications systems.