December 2006
The satellite was put into orbit at 2.28 p.m. GMT 20-12-06 “This is the first time Russia is launching a German military spacecraft,” spokesman Alexei Kuznetsov said.
The Russian launch vehicle successfully took off on schedule from the Russian Plesetsk space station south of Archangelsk at 15:00:19 hours Central European Time, placing the first of a total of five radar satellites in its low orbit at an altitude of around 500 km half an hour later as planned. The German satellite system is designed to provide high-resolution radar images to NATO military commanders in Europe. It offers spatial resolution of less than 1 meter, and allows imaging at night and through clouds.
Source: RIA Novosti/Spacewar