Space as a business area: Rheinmetall starts series production of space satellites

dpa | Tank manufacturer Rheinmetall has begun series production of satellites to expand its product portfolio and cover all levels of the modern battlefield. The company announced that production in Neuss had started successfully. After preparatory work including planning and construction, we moved on to industrial implementation.

It's about SAR satellites that are being built together with the Finnish company Iceye. The “Synthetic Aperture Radar” technology provides precise images of enemy troop movements and positions even at night and in bad weather. Artificial intelligence (AI) is used to filter out and process relevant information. The manufacturer is Rheinmetall Iceye Space Solutions GmbH, in which Rheinmetall holds 60 percent.

Around 50 satellites are to be manufactured each year; At the beginning of 2027, the first Neuss satellite is scheduled to be brought into orbit using a SpaceX launch vehicle and begin its orbit there. The SAR satellites are 3.3 meters long and 0.8 meters wide and weigh around 220 kilograms. The area of ​​the antenna covers approximately 2.6 square meters. “The successful start of production in Neuss shows that we not only provide innovative space technology, but can also scale it industrially in Germany,” says Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger.

With the satellites, Rheinmetall is entering a new business area. The arms company is making its product range as broad as possible in order to largely cover the needs of NATO armies and not allow competitors to gain access. Rheinmetall bought a shipbuilder and opened a factory for aircraft components in Weeze on the Lower Rhine. The defense company has also expanded its drone production.

The satellite business sells radar images that are intended to help NATO armies assess the situation. It is particularly about NATO's eastern flank and therefore also about support for the Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania. The Rheinmetall subsidiary has a multi-year contract with the Bundeswehr worth around 1.7 billion euros plus an expansion option. The German army is already receiving images from satellites that Iceye built and put into orbit without any involvement from Rheinmetall.

The opportunities for the Bundeswehr will soon improve. At the same time as series production began, Rheinmetall announced that the German army had booked exclusive access to an undisclosed number of satellites - the radar systems of these missiles will in future be used exclusively by the Bundeswehr. This means that the German army no longer has to wait until one of the satellites is free to take the desired image.

Rheinmetall is currently converting the Neuss plant. The site was previously used for the production of car parts. Rheinmetall has now sold this weakening division. However, the Neuss factory was kept within the group in order to manufacture drones, battle turrets and satellites.

From an expert perspective, SAR technology is now essential for a powerful modern army. “In a glass battlefield, you have to keep an eye on the enemy as constantly and precisely as possible, also in order to find out about movements of troops and heavy equipment as quickly as possible,” says Juliana Süß from the Science and Politics Foundation (SWP). She points out that the Ukrainian army also uses images from Iceye satellites, of which there are currently 35 in space.

“Depending on the level of resolution, many details can be seen,” says Süß. The radar signals passed through camouflage nets or leaves of trees and bushes and then made it possible to see whether tanks or artillery pieces were hidden there.

The Bundeswehr has so far only had access to a few SAR satellites, so the contract with Rheinmetall-Iceye is a step forward for defense capability, says the expert. “So far we lack the necessary amount of recordings to have a constant and therefore tactically relevant overview.” The “revisit rate” – i.e. the frequency of satellite overflights – increases, meaning that the situation on the ground and thus potential changes in the situation can be observed.

However, specially trained personnel are needed to be able to understand the SAR images. This is an important factor compared to other satellite images, i.e. electro-optical images. According to expert Süß, the systems are not directly comparable, but complement each other and can therefore create a comprehensive picture of the situation. “SAR satellites are extremely important militarily, but they are not miracle satellites,” says Süß. “SAR satellites are also vulnerable, for example through signal interference or cyber attacks.”

Rheinmetall's competitors in the satellite business include Airbus Defense and Space and the Bremen-based company OHB. The space company OHB sold a total of eight satellites in the SAR-Lupe and SARah programs to the Bundeswehr, seven of which are still in space today and taking SAR images. The first OHB satellites were launched in 2007.

SAR images bring significant added value to an army, says an OHB spokeswoman. “The radar technology is capable of day and night and is therefore largely independent of external influences.” An addition of conventional reconnaissance photos completes the situation picture. However, SAR requires a trained eye. On the other hand, even untrained personnel can quickly draw conclusions from electro-optical recordings that are important in warfare.

After Rheinmetall secured the Bundeswehr contract for direct access to satellites through direct award, a larger SAR tender is now in the works - OHB and Airbus also want to take part in this tender. “Airbus has both high-resolution, complex satellites for strategic reconnaissance as well as smaller satellite systems for high repetition rates and tactical reconnaissance,” says an Airbus spokesman.