Germany to spend €35 billion on new military space architecture

Germany is considering a wide range of military space investments — from reconnaissance satellites and space planes to offensive laser systems — as part of a €35 billion ($41 billion) spending programme designed to counter rising threats from Russia and China in orbit, according to the country’s space commander.

Speaking on the sidelines of a space industry event ahead of the Singapore Airshow, the head of German Space Command, Michael Traut, said Berlin plans to build a secure, encrypted military satellite constellation of more than 100 spacecraft over the coming years. The network, known as SATCOM Stage 4, will follow the model used by the US Space Development Agency, a Pentagon unit that operates low-Earth-orbit satellites for communications and missile detection.

The push comes as major European defence firms seek to strengthen the continent’s space capabilities. Rheinmetall is currently in talks with German satellite manufacturer OHB about a joint bid for an unnamed military satellite project. At the same time, Europe’s three largest space companies — Airbus, Thales and Leonardo — are working on plans to create a European satellite communications system that could serve as an alternative to Elon Musk’s Starlink network.

Traut said Germany’s expanded investment in military space infrastructure reflects a far more contested orbital environment since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He stressed that Germany and its European partners must enhance their deterrence posture by strengthening secure communications and developing capabilities that could disrupt or neutralise hostile space systems.

“(We need to) improve our deterrence posture in space, since space has become an operational or even warfighting domain, and we are perfectly aware that our systems, our space capabilities, need to be protected and defended,” Traut said.

As part of the programme, Germany will direct funding toward intelligence-gathering satellites, advanced sensors and technologies intended to interfere with adversary spacecraft. These include laser systems and equipment capable of targeting ground-based infrastructure that supports space operations. Traut noted that priority would be given to domestic German suppliers as well as European companies.

He underlined that Berlin does not intend to deploy destructive weapons in orbit that could create space debris. Instead, Germany is focusing on non-kinetic means of disrupting hostile satellites, such as electronic jamming, laser interference and actions aimed at ground control stations.

Traut also highlighted the growing use of so-called inspector satellites — small, highly manoeuvrable spacecraft capable of approaching other satellites in orbit — which he said Russia and China have already put into operation.

“There is a broad range of possible effects in the electromagnetic spectrum, in the optical, in the laser spectrum, and even some active physical things like inspector satellites,” he explained.

“You could even go after ground segments of a space system in order to deny that system to your adversary or to tell him, ‘If you do something to us in space, we might do something to you in other domains as well.’”

By Tamilla Hasanova