Conflicts in space: 35 billion for German “security architecture” in space

“Captivation in space”: According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the Federal Government will provide 35 billion euros for space projects and a security architecture in space in the next five years. The SPD politician announced an overall package in Berlin at the BDI World Congress, “the protection and effects guaranteed equally”.

As the goal of the program, he cited a resilient structure of satellite constellations, ground stations, secure starting capabilities into space and the necessary services. “We harden our systems against disorders and attacks. This expressly includes cyber security for all space systems,” said Pistorius.

The minister also spoke out for the fact that there must be talk about offensive skills. The term describes systems in order to be able to be or attack militarily in space if necessary. “We also have to be able to deter in space in order to be able to defend,” said Pistorius.

Germany needs secure transport routes into space

In addition, redundancies would have to be created by several networked attellite constellations. Germany also needs reliable transport capacities into space: “Here we rely on a mix: Small carrier missiles for flexible starts, but also in the medium term European heavy load carriers that arise in the competition – and, above all, have to survive.”

In the Bundeswehr space command, a own military satellite operating center will be necessary. Pistorius said: “This is the only way to keep control of our systems and can react quickly in an emergency.”

Russia and China can disturb and destroy satellites

According to Pistorius, Russia and China have “expanded” their skills in space in space in space. “You can interfere with satellites, blind, manipulate or destroy kinetically,” he said.

Two Intelsat satellites are currently being pursued by the Bundeswehr by two Russian Luch Olympus Satellites. With its space systems, China carries out highly agile and dynamic approximation maneuvers, which can be transferred to the Air Force as aerial combat exercises.

Pistorius warned that satellite networks are an Achilles’ heel of modern societies. “Anyone who attacks them paralyzes entire states.” Bundeswehr systems are already affected by interference attacks. The attacks were not only directed against the troop, but also against economy and society as a whole.

Already in the morning before the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, a Russian cyber attack on the satellite network “Viasat” paralyzed large parts of communication, the minister recalled. In Germany, the operating control of almost 6,000 wind turbines was massively restricted.

Pistorius: Speech takes place under 39 educational satellites

Today’s threat situation goes far beyond. Pistorius said: “The sentence applies to our mountain hunters in the Bundeswehr: Whoever has the heights, also controls the valleys. If we put the situation in space on a map today, one thing would be obvious very quickly: Russia and China already occupy important strategic hills and mountains in space.”

During his speech alone, a total of 39 Chinese and Russian educational satellites Berlin. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte only expressed his concern a few months ago that Russia could consider stationing nuclear weapons in space in order to be able to combat satellites.

Germany has recently fallen back more and more

The Federal Association of German Industry (BDI) considers considerably higher investments necessary for a chase to be chased. The German and European distance from the United States and China in space travel has increased in recent years – with far -reaching consequences for the entire industry, the association and the management consultancy Roland Berger warned in a study.

The global market for space -assisted infrastructure and services will quadruple faints by 2040 – from today almost 500 billion to two trillion euros, according to the study. There is considerable potential for the German economy “thanks to its specialized engineering know-how, which urgently needs space travel”.

The study criticizes decades of underfunding that has consequences. Germany currently only operates just a little more than 80 of its own satellites, the United States, on the other hand, over 10,000 and China over 900 – “tendency rapidly increasing”.

The authors point out problematic dependencies, for example in satellite communication. So there is currently no German or European alternative to the American network. However, data from space are indispensable for defense ability and central processes.