Heinrich Hertz

Heinrich Hertz (H2Sat) was Germany's first dedicated communications satellite since the DFS Kopernikus missions of the early 1990s. Built on OHB System's SmallGEO bus as the first satellite to fly that platform, it was operated by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to validate Ka- and Ku-band communications hardware, including reconfigurable on-board processors, inter-satellite link antennas, and a high-efficiency plasma thruster.

Syracuse 4B (Comsat-NG 2) completed the French military Syracuse IV constellation alongside Syracuse 4A, which had launched in October 2021, providing wideband, jam-resistant X- and Ka-band communications for deployed French forces.

VA261 was the final Ariane 5 flight, closing a campaign that began with the vehicle's first launch in 1996.