The Bundeswehr is expanding its own satellite network and turning down Starlink

The Bundeswehr has awarded Airbus Defence and Space a large order worth 2.1 billion euros so that the defence and space company can take the armed forces’ satellite communications (SATCOMBw) to the next level. The German army should therefore not rely on the availability of commercial satellite networks such as Starlink from Elon Musk’s SpaceX group. According to Airbus, the order includes the development, integration, testing and delivery into orbit of two new telecommunications satellites. Earth’s military satellites must fly in a geostationary manner, i.e. in a circular orbit 35,786 kilometres above the equator’s surface.

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The new generation of Airbus satellites is based on the Eurostar Neo platform, The Munich company said. They are said to weigh around 6 tonnes and have “extensive capabilities to keep pace with the rapid changes in digitalisation and the ever-increasing data transfer volumes.” For the Bundeswehr, Airbus currently maintains the Earth satellites COMSATBw 1B and 2B, which are the basis of the Level 2 SATCOMBw. As part of this, the Group also operates a large ground station in Weilheim. Like its two military-operated counterparts at the Gerolstein and Kastellaun locations, it serves as an anchor station for data transmission from the satellites and as an interface to the terrestrial communication network.

The new Phase 3 order also includes upgrade of the existing ground segment for an initial 15 years with an option for further extension. Ministry of Defence sees the resulting availability of our own transmission capacity as a “basic requirement for national and coalition defense”. The federal government recently stressed that local armed forces do not need the EU’s planned satellite constellation for highly available broadband internet IRIS2 or private alternatives such as Starlink for SATCOMBw.

Incorporated OHB from Bremen

In addition to Airbus, the Bremen space company OHB and medium-sized local companies are also involved in the project. Central elements such as the payload, the management and integration of the solar system and the overall operation of the required spacecraft must come from Germany. According to a report, the budget committee released 2.1 billion euros for the Bundeswehr satellites in June. Accordingly, OHB must also send and operate a frequency backup satellite into space. Its purpose is to keep the channels specified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) available.

The head of Airbus Defence and Space, Michael Schöllhorn, was pleased to be able to offer “a significantly improved military satellite capability that is fit for the future in the 2040s” with the order. Long-term partnerships are “crucial to ensure the necessary sovereignty and capabilities and to protect our armed forces in an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment.” Ralf Herzog, vice president of the Bundeswehr’s Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Utilization, stressed that with the Level 3 SATCOMBw, the local military will have an anti-war communications system. However, the Ministry of Defense recently had to admit technical problems with two of the three satellites of OHB’s SARA spy program launched at the end of 2023: they are not yet able to provide radar images. The reason: the antenna masts fitted with the sensors cannot be folded.

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