OHB-System

OHB AG ( orbitals for high-technology Bremen ), headquartered in Bremen is a listed technology group with activities in aerospace. The business segments of the company are Telematics & Satellite, Space & Security, Payloads & Science, International Aerospace and Space Transportation & Aerospace Structures. The founders and principal owners are Manfred Fuchs and his wife Christa.

History

In early 1982, took over the small company Otto Fuchs Christa hydraulic Bremen GmbH, short OHB. The company was founded in 1958 from Hemelingen had at the time five employees and engaged in the construction and repair of electrical and hydraulic systems ship for the German Army. Together with MBB - ERNO as a project leader and the shipyard Sarstedt won OHB 1984 the contract for the construction of the vessel type MPOSS (Multi-Purpose Oil Skimming System).

Manfred Fuchs, director of space was at MBB - ERNO the time, had the idea to enter with OHB in the space business. In 1985 the first space project at OHB. OHB developed a space- flight qualified for centrifuge tests of blood and urine samples for the Spacelab. In the same year Manfred Fuchs went into the company of his wife. The first task was the project MIKROBA ( microgravity with balloon), a project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research and DFVLR project, which included experiments in free fall. Another project in the early days was, inter alia, COSIMA, a plant for the production of protein crystals, which flew into space on the Chinese carrier rocket Long March 2 1988.

With the growing staff, the rooms at Hemelinger pier were too small. Near the University of Bremen, OHB built a new headquarters in the University Avenue 27, which was opened in October 1988. The vision of Manfred Fuchs was to develop smaller and therefore cheaper satellites, this was also a reason for the renaming of the company in orbital and Hydro Technology Bremen- System GmbH in 1991. Together with the Center for Applied Space Technology and Microgravity ( ZARM ) the University of Bremen developed OHB with BremSat one of the first German small satellite. On February 3, 1994, he launched aboard Discovery in orbit.

Another milestone was the Satellite series SAFIR (Satellite for Information Relay) for determining the position and object tracking, which also marked the introduction of OHB in the telecommunications market. For the OHB Teledata GmbH was founded back in 1993, which specialized in telematic systems. Was born in 1993 for the construction and integration of satellite COLUMBUS integration hall at the OHB- site. Other major projects on which OHB was involved in the next few years, have included Envisat, CHAMP and GRACE. With the acquisition of further major projects such as ABRIXAS and the growing number of employees to 170 now the company headquarters was soon too small, right in the neighborhood of the existing building, the new headquarters was inaugurated in 1995 in the University Avenue 29. 2001 another building in the Charles -Ferdinand -Braun-Strasse and a modern clean room hall were built.

As early as 1995 began OHB to align internationally. So you took part in the Italian space company Carlo Gavazzi Space from Milan ( founded in 1981 ) and founded jointly with the Russian company AKO Polyot the joint venture COSMOS International, the Start Services for Satellite offers ( Cosmos launcher ). In 1998 the company Orbcomm Germany was founded. Since 2000, OHB operates under the name orbitals high-technology Bremen- System GmbH. 2001 IPO of OHB Teledata on the Neuer Markt was held. Then, the OHB- System GmbH to rewrite into a corporation. 2002 OHB-System and OHB Teledata to OHB Technology AG merged. In the following years, more companies investments and start-ups various subsidiaries. Among other things, acquired 2005, the MAN subsidiary company MAN Technologie AG (now MT Aerospace). 2008, the attempt to take over the three German Airbus sites in Nordenham, Varel and Augsburg. It was planned according to a report by Manager Magazin, the emergence of a new listed aviation company. Under the leadership of OHB a company with 6700 employees and a turnover of around one billion euros should arise.

OHB took over in the following years the lead in the development of the major project SAR-Lupe, a satellite reconnaissance system on behalf of the German Federal Armed Forces and developed the modular mini- satellite system Small GEO. In addition, the company has been a specialist for the International Space Station (ISS ) and for the European station module Columbus. Other major projects in the next few years, the communications satellite Hispasat and the weather satellite Meteosat.

In March 2011, the Annual General Meeting approves the change of name of OHB Technology AG OHB AG. The departments telematics, Space & Security, satellite services, and science and payloads were grouped into two divisions Space Systems and Aerospace Industrial Products.

Corporate structure and products

Departments of OHB AG

Under the umbrella of Space Systems are the divisions satellites ( Galileo, SmallGEO, etc.), manned spaceflight, exploration, security and reconnaissance ( SAR-Lupe, ARDS ) summarized and Industrial Applications. The second division Aerospace Industrial Products are subordinate & Telematics products and the topics aerospace products, aerospace products, antennas.

Participations and subsidiaries of the Fuchs Group

Space Systems

  • OHB -System AG, Bremen (100 %)
  • Kayser- Threde GmbH, Munich (100%, 2007)
  • CGS Compagnia Generale per lo spazio SpA, Milan (100 % participation in 1995, department 2009)
  • Luxspace Sàrl, Luxembourg (100 %)
  • Antwerp Space N.V., Antwerp (100 %)
  • OHB Sweden AB (100 %)

Aerospace Industrial Products

  • MT Aerospace AG, Augsburg (70%, 2005)
  • OHB Teledata GmbH, Bremen (100%, 1993)
  • Megatel GmbH, Bremen ( 74.9 %, 2001)
  • Telematic Solutions S.p.A., Milan (100%, 2001)

Projects

The largest projects include SAR-Lupe, the communications satellite platform SmallGEO and 22 satellites of the European Galileo navigation system. other projects and investments are:

  • EDRS - European Data Relay Satellite System
  • Hispasat Advanced Generation 1
  • EnMAP - Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program
  • Heinrich Hertz - a geostationary satellite research of the German Aerospace Center (DLR )
  • ExoMars - a robotic mission to Mars
  • ABRIXAS
  • Bird - RUBY
  • Harmony (Node 2)
  • Tranquility (Node 3)
  • Spacelab
  • ATV
  • European Physiology Modules
  • MTG

Criticism

In May 2012, it was announced that the University of Bremen for a military research project and has thus possibly violating its own civil clause. A spokesman confirmed that scientists have worked from 2003 to 2006 with OHB at a Ministry of Defence. This Radio Bremen According involved the transfer of large amounts of data - for example, from a fighter jet - to a ground station. However, the findings could also be used for civilian purposes, it said. The Rector will examine whether the project against the civilian clause has failed, the Greens demanded an explanation in question time in Parliament.

The Chairman of the Group, Marco Fuchs, according Weser Kurier said: "Either the university changes the civil clause, or we can be the chair. " With 165,000 euros per year, the parents of Mr. Fox wanted to promote a professor of space technology; at this endowed chair is going to " basic research ," explained the former rector of the University of Bremen. The student union of the University of Bremen criticized in this context the so-called " dual-use problem " for projects that can also serve military intelligence in addition to civilian purposes and demanded that an active civil Neubeschluss clause in the Academic Senate.

As the Weser Kurier reported at the time, Marco Fuchs asked the university to decide: "We do not see ourselves as a defense contractor, but committed to do business with the Bundeswehr. [ ... ] I understand the starting points of criticism, and I can understand the debate. If there is such a charter, it is understandable that their proponents point to the provisions therein. And if the university or the Academic Senate comes to the conclusion that our endowed chair so can not agree, we should let it be. Then it makes no sense. "

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