OHB SE
OHB SE is a European multinational technology corporation. Headquartered in Bremen, Germany, the corporation consists of the two business divisions Space Systems and Aerospace + Industrial Products. A key product of the corporation is fully integrated spacecraft. At present OHB is the third largest corporation in Europe's space sector.
The company OHB System AG is a major constituent of the OHB corporation. This company was founded in 1958 as a marine systems outfitter. The name OHB originates from this time; the name is an initialism of Otto Hydraulic Bremen. However the activities of the company shifted toward space technology in the 1980s after the couple Christa Fuchs and Manfred Fuchs took over ownership of the company.
Organisation
OHB is set up as a Societas Europae – a European company. The OHB SE group encompasses subsidiaries across the European Union.| Business Unit | Subsidiary | Location | Legal Form | Share |
| Space System | OHB System | Bremen & Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany | AG | 100% |
| Space System | OHB Italia | Milan, Italy | S.p.A. | 100% |
| Space System | LuxSpace | Betzdorf, Luxembourg | Sàrl | 100% |
| Space System | Antwerp Space | Antwerp, Belgium | N.V. | 100% |
| Space System | OHB Sweden | Stockholm, Sweden | AB | 100% |
| Space System | OHB Czechspace | Klatovy & Brno, Czech Republic | s.r.o. | 100% |
| Space System | OHB Hellas | Athens, Greece | mon.E.P.E | 100% |
| Aerospace + Industrial Products | MT Aerospace | Augsburg, Germany | AG | 70% |
| Aerospace + Industrial Products | MT Mechatronics | Mainz, Germany | GmbH | 70% |
| Aerospace + Industrial Products | MT Aerospace Guyane | Kourou, French Guiana | S.A.S. | 70% |
| Aerospace + Industrial Products | OHB Teledata | Bremen, Germany | GmbH | 100% |
| Aerospace + Industrial Products | OHB Digital Services | Bremen, Germany | GmbH | 74.9% |
Projects
The company has been working on numerous prestigious German, European and international projects related to small satellites, manned space flight as well as security and reconnaissance technologies.- Examples of OHB satellite missions for telecommunication, earth observation and reconnaissance are Small GEO, BREMSAT, SAFIR 1&2, BIRD/RUBIN, ABRIXAS and the first German reconnaissance satellite system, SAR-Lupe.
- Examples of OHB microgravity facilities are the International Space Station racks Fluid Science Laboratory and European Physiology Modules.
- Projects OHB demonstrated at the 2006 Berlin Air Show included CONDOR/ARDS, an airborne modular reconnaissance system, and Mona Lisa, a study for planning and implementing a lunar exploration program.
- On 7 January 2010, the European Commission announced that the contract to build the first 14 operational satellites for the Galileo Global Satellite Navigation System was awarded to OHB System and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited. Fourteen satellites will be built at a cost of €566m. The first two are expected to be ready in October 2012.
- In February 2012, an additional order of eight satellites was awarded to OHB Systems for €250M, after outbidding EADS Astrium tender offer. Thus bringing the total to 22 FOC satellites.
- In 2014/2015, OHB was in talks with OneWeb as part of a potential joint venture to open a new facility for manufacturing approximately 900 -small Internet-delivery satellites. OHB is just one of five European and US manufacturers competing to build these sub- satellites.
- In 2018 the ESA NEOSTEL telescope was under construction, due for completion in 2019, ready for installation in Sicily in 2020 by the Italian Space Agency.
- In 2018, the Institut Laue–Langevin and European Synchrotron Radiation Facility announce a new partnership between the two research centers and OHB SE.
- In 2019 MT Mechatronics, together with Illinois-based Ingersoll Machine Tools signed a contract to build the support structure of the Giant Magellan Telescope. The total value of the contract is $135 million. The structure is expected to be delivered to Chile at the end of 2025.
Corporate history
In 1981 Christa and Manfred Fuchs became involved with OHB. At the time OHB was a small company of 5 employees doing hydraulic and electrical work, mainly for the Bundeswehr. In 1985 Manfred Fuchs took over the OHB completely. Under Fuchs, OHB changed its focus to satellite and aviation technology. In 2000, the company changed the meaning of OHB to High-technology Bremen Orbitals.
In 2009, the company had grown into 1,600 employee company.
In 1 September 2014, OHB Systems AG and Kayser-Threde Gmbh merged.