The German armed forces are reportedly planning to set up at least one satellite constellation to be used for communication, reconnaissance, or earth observation. This was reported by the Handelsblatt newspaper, citing insiders and the Ministry of Defense itself. The project is intended to make Germany independent of technology from abroad, above all the Starlink satellite internet from SpaceX. This has long since proven its value, but is only of limited use to the Bundeswehr for various reasons. The plans for one or more own constellations also represent a departure from the European Starlink alternative Iris2, which would also only be partially available to the military.
A project for German industry
As the Handelsblatt continues, the Ministry of Defense has confirmed the report. Various options for the possible construction of satellite constellations are being investigated to meet the increasing demand for national capabilities. Each constellation would cost between one and ten billion euros, the newspaper quotes an insider as saying, adding that the German Armed Forces want to rely primarily on domestic companies. The money would be available with the new debt regulation. Talks are already underway with the new German rocket companies Isar Aerospace, RFA and Hyimpulse. According to one expert, time is of the essence. SpaceX is explicitly not to be used.
However, the basic characteristics of the planned constellation or constellations are still unclear, he added. The main focus is on the areas of communication, reconnaissance, and earth observation; the necessary technology could theoretically be mounted on a satellite. However, these would then have to be extremely large and there would be operational restrictions. At the same time, the Bundeswehr is planning as few ground stations as possible, so the satellites would have to be able to communicate with each other, for example via lasers. The question of which orbits the satellites should be placed in has not even been resolved. Lower orbits reduce latency, while higher orbits allow more area to be covered.
Even if the initial plans and talks are a German solo effort, there is no question of excluding European partners. The newspaper also quotes the head of Bremen-based satellite manufacturer OHB, according to whom Italy, the UK and Eastern European countries are currently considering their satellite constellations. This also underlines the extent to which the image of the US company SpaceX has changed recently. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk already tried to influence the war in Ukraine and attempted to use Starlink as a means of exerting pressure. Since he rose to become an influential confidant of Donald Trump, confidence in his reliability has declined further.
(mho)
