Berlin is moving at unusual speed to build a new generation of military satellites that can watch Russian and Chinese forces, track ballistic missiles and keep German troops connected in a crisis. The plan folds space firmly into national defense, with a dedicated spy network at its core and a budget that would have been politically unthinkable only a few years ago. I see it as the clearest sign yet that Europe’s largest economy now treats orbit as a frontline against Moscow and Beijing.
The emerging architecture is meant to give commanders their own eyes and ears in space, instead of relying so heavily on allies. It is also designed to survive in a contested orbit where Russian and Chinese systems are already probing Western assets and rehearsing ways to blind or disable them. The race is no longer about prestige launches, but about who can see, communicate and react fastest when missiles lift off or satellites come under threat.
From hesitant power to €35 billion space spender
For decades, Germany treated space as a civilian and scientific domain, leaving hard security to the United States and other NATO partners. That posture is now being rewritten. On February 3, Major General Michael Traut, the head of German Space Command, set out a sweeping plan worth €35 billion, described as $41, to build a layered military space architecture that includes reconnaissance satellites, high bandwidth communications and missile tracking. That figure, echoed as 35 billion and $41 billion in separate reporting, marks a step change in how Berlin funds its orbital ambitions.
Earlier coverage of the same push framed it as a 35 billion and $41 billion military space investment that would cover everything from intelligence gathering to secure communications and missile warning, with German Space Command Michael Traut stressing that Germany needs its own resilient infrastructure. Another analysis put the total at €35 billion, or $41 billion, for a new military space architecture that would include a secure broadband constellation comparable in concept to Elon Musk’s Starlink network, underlining how Berlin now sees space connectivity as a strategic asset rather than a luxury. In political terms, this is the space counterpart to the country’s broader defense spending surge since Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine.
Spy satellites, SARah radar and the OHB industrial engine
The backbone of the surveillance effort is a new generation of radar reconnaissance satellites designed to replace the aging SAR Lupe system. The SARah constellation, built around synthetic aperture radar, is intended to give German commanders all weather, day night imaging of distant theaters, including Russian and Chinese deployments, regardless of cloud cover. Under the contract signed for SARah, Under the agreement, OHB System AG is responsible as prime contractor for implementing the entire system, with enhanced capabilities and system performance compared with the previous generation.
That role cements OHB System AG, part of the wider OHB group, as the industrial engine of Germany’s military space build out. Reporting on the broader investment notes that OHB’s SARah constellation is explicitly designed to replace the German military’s SAR Lupe synthetic aperture radar satellites, and that the €35 billion, $41 package will also fund launch capacity and transport into space. A detailed mission overview of SARah describes a mix of radar and possibly reflector based satellites that together provide higher resolution imagery and faster revisit times, exactly the qualities needed to monitor rapid Russian troop movements or Chinese naval deployments in near real time.
Missile tracking and a Starlink style military network
Surveillance is only one pillar of the new architecture. German planners are also racing to field a space based missile detection system that can spot launches quickly and cue defenses. German space command has said it is building a domestic satellite based missile detection system, a move that comes as ties with NATO and the United States are under strain and Berlin seeks more autonomy in early warning. That intent was highlighted in coverage noting that the plan was reported by the Financial Times and that German officials want to ensure they are not dependent on allied sensors for critical threat data.
In parallel, Germany will build an encrypted military constellation for communications that its space commander compared to a sovereign alternative to Elon Musk’s Starlink. Major General Michael Traut has said the network would provide secure broadband for German forces and allies, with coverage and resilience tailored to European needs. One report quoted him explaining that Germany is weighing investments in such a constellation precisely because Berlin and its European allies fear that adversaries could try to jam or disable existing commercial systems in a crisis. A separate social media summary of Financial Times reporting added that Germany will be the first in Europe to build a satellite system to track ballistic missiles, citing Financial Times Major General Michael Traut and stressing that Europe has not previously fielded such a capability.
Lasers, non kinetic disruption and a new doctrine
What makes the German plan striking is not only its scale but its explicit embrace of non kinetic tools to deter and, if necessary, disrupt hostile space systems. Program documents and public remarks describe a strategy of Deterrence Through Non Kinetic Action, with a focus on non destructive disruption to avoid creating debris. The program prioritizes systems capable of interfering with adversary satellites across the radio frequency, optical and laser spectrums, a concept that was summarized as Deterrence Through Non Kinetic Action in official descriptions.
Germany will channel funding into intelligence gathering satellites, sensors and systems designed to disrupt adversary spacecraft, including potential laser platforms that can dazzle or temporarily blind hostile sensors without physically destroying them. One detailed account noted that The program prioritizes such non destructive tools precisely to manage escalation risks while still signaling that German assets are not passive targets. Another report on the spending push said Germany will channel funding into satellites, sensor networks and disruption systems, quoting officials who argued that Germany must be able to protect its own spacecraft and, if necessary, impose costs on those who threaten them.
Russia, China and the shift toward offensive options
The sense of urgency behind Berlin’s space turn is rooted in concrete behavior by Moscow and Beijing. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has warned that Russian spacecraft are actively tracking German military communications satellites, describing this as part of a broader pattern of Russian activity that treats orbit as a new frontier in international security. In a separate interview, Germany’s defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said it is time for his country to consider putting offensive capabilities in space, a major policy shift that would put Germany on the offense rather than relying solely on passive defenses.
China is also central to German threat assessments. Officials have pointed to Chinese anti satellite tests and co orbital inspector satellites as evidence that Beijing is preparing to hold Western space infrastructure at risk. Reporting on Berlin’s new space spending repeatedly frames the program as a response to both Russia and China, with one detailed account noting that Germany will channel funding into intelligence satellites, sensors and disruption systems specifically to counter those two powers. Another piece on the new architecture stressed that Germany is considering a wide range of military space investments, from reconnaissance satellites and space planes to offensive laser systems and a secure broadband constellation, and that Germany sees this as part of a broader competition with authoritarian rivals.
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