OHB

Bremen – October 28, 2026 -- Christa Fuchs, who built a five-employee hydraulics repair shop into a space group with about EUR 1.2 billion in FY2025 revenue, received a special award for lifetime entrepreneurial achievement at the Deutscher Gründerpreis.

The jury cited her contribution to building one of Europe's leading space companies and her influence on the German and European space industry.

Fuchs took over Otto Hydraulik Bremen in 1981 with five staff

Fuchs, born in 1938, acquired the family-run firm at Hemelinger Hafendamm in 1981. It mainly repaired hydraulic ship systems for the German armed forces (Bundeswehr).

Her husband Manfred Fuchs joined in 1985 and steered the company toward space. He set the technology vision, while she managed the finances.

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.

Bremen – October 28, 2026 -- OHB will acquire 25 percent of MediaMobil Communication GmbH through a capital increase, under a strategic partnership agreed between the two Bremen-based companies. The announcement does not disclose the transaction value.

OHB builds on a joint North Sea launch effort running since 2020

The two companies have worked together since 2020 on developing rocket launch solutions from the North Sea. The equity stake formalizes that relationship. OHB says the investment strengthens its satellite communications expertise and extends its portfolio along the entire value chain.