Exclusive satellite access for the German Armed Forces

Less than a year after its official commissioning, Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions GmbH has reached another key milestone in the new SPOCK 1 satellite programme for the German Armed Forces. The German armed forces now have direct access to several Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) reconnaissance satellites dedicated exclusively to this purpose. They can commission these satellites independently, thereby building on the SAR reconnaissance capabilities already available via other satellites. Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions operates the SAR satellites and continues to expand the constellation. This capability is being used primarily to protect the brigade in Lithuania and to monitor NATO’s eastern flank. SPOCK 1 stands for ‘SAR Space System for Persistent Operational Tracking, Stage 1’ and describes the initial phase of a national radar reconnaissance system designed for continuous, all-weather satellite surveillance.

Meanwhile, production of SAR satellites has successfully commenced at the Neuss site. With the start of production, Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions is moving from the planning and development phase to industrial implementation. The Neuss site brings together production, integration, testing and quality assurance. Highly qualified specialists from production, engineering and quality management oversee the entire manufacturing process. Highly qualified specialists from production, engineering, and quality management oversee the entire manufacturing process. The aim is to build and certify several dozen satellites for launch into Earth’s orbit each year on the banks of the Rhine.

More information can be found here.