Space plays a key role in the security of Germany and Europe. Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius, who is visiting defense-related industrial sites as part of his summer tour in addition to visiting troops, emphasized that the Bundeswehr is considering establishing its own launch site. Sovereign access to space is essential for national and European defense capabilities, and in light of the increasingly tense security situation, the expansion of launch sites is crucial to ensuring that Germany and Europe can respond quickly and effectively in the long term.
OHB and the European Spaceport Company expressly welcome this assessment. “We are in the midst of very intensive preparations to provide Germany with its own sovereign and flexible launch capability,” explains Sabine von der Recke, Managing Director of the European Spaceport Company. “We need significantly more resilience in our launch capabilities, especially to meet military needs, and we are well prepared to get started quickly.”
During his visit to the space company OHB in Bremen last week, the minister also discussed the topic of launch sites with CEO Marco Fuchs. Fuchs explained in the subsequent press conference that work on the offshore spaceport concept is continuing: “We started with the North Sea, but the scope of interest has since expanded significantly—since our initial considerations, there has been a much greater demand for satellites and, consequently, for launch sites, which is why we should think big.”
The European Spaceport Company was established as a separate entity to consolidate the OHB Group’s expertise in launch site infrastructure and to provide launch capabilities for a wide range of user groups and launch vehicle systems in the future. The focus is on both maritime and land-based launch platforms. This is intended to expand the capacities of existing launch sites and create additional launch opportunities.
