Vandenberg Space Force Base, California – October 28, 2026 -- The ATHENE-1 technology demonstrator, a small satellite of nearly 300 kilograms, has launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and reached low Earth orbit as planned, starting the operational phase of a mission that will host 22 scientific experiments. LuxSpace, a subsidiary of OHB, built the satellite with the Bundeswehr University Munich. It flew on the Transporter-18 mission.
ATHENE-1 will test jamming defense and on-board AI processing
The experiments cover satellite communications and networking, reconnaissance and sensing, navigation, and AI-supported data processing directly in orbit. The satellite will trial methods to detect, locate and counter interference, with the aim of making satellite navigation and communication systems more resilient. It will also test intelligent signal and data processing and future applications for government and military users.
Software-defined design lets operators change satellite functions after launch
ATHENE-1 also tests software-defined, reconfigurable satellite systems. Functions and applications can be adapted to new requirements after launch, so satellites can respond more flexibly to new standards, operational scenarios or interference.
Bundeswehr links the project to a satellite architecture of several hundred units
Vice Admiral Dr. Thomas Daum, Inspector of the Bundeswehr Cyber and Information Domain Service, said the armed forces' planned "Gesamtarchitektur Weltraum" is a networked, multi-orbit approach to sensing and data transmission. It calls for at least a high three-digit number of satellites. He said SeRANIS, and ATHENE-1 in particular, lay important groundwork for it.
SeRANIS (Seamless Radio Access Networks for Internet of Space) is led by the Bundeswehr University Munich and funded by the Bundeswehr's Center for Digitalization and Technology Research (dtec.bw). Programme lead Andreas Knopp said the project began six years ago. OHB CEO Marco Fuchs said recent developments have underlined the importance of technological sovereignty and resilient space systems.
LuxSpace's Triton-X Heavy platform carries a university-built payload
The mission uses LuxSpace's modular Triton-X Heavy small-satellite platform with a multifunctional experimental payload developed by the university. Integration took place at OHB's Oberpfaffenhofen site, and OHB Orbital Access ran the launch campaign. LuxSpace Managing Director Didier Schnitzler said the ESA-qualified Triton-X platform handled the mission's complexity.
The German Aerospace Center's (DLR) National Space Control Centre (GSOC) provides the ground infrastructure for telemetry, command transmission, and satellite monitoring and control.
The Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) and In-Orbit Commissioning will run over the coming days. The experiments will then be activated step by step, and the mission is designed to last several years.