The German army is preparing to go ahead with plans to place a constellation of 200 low Earth orbiting satellites according to a report in the Handelsblatt newspaper.

While the details in the report are new, the German army’s wish for an independent source for satellite-based communications is not.

German specialist armaments group Rheinmetall wants to apply for the Bundeswehr’s largest satellite project to date together with the Bremen-based satellite manufacturer OHB.

The contract value is to amount to up to €10 billion noted the report, citing several people entrusted with the process. Airbus has also expressed an interest and could also supply the satellites.

The project is to connect tanks, ships and soldiers with up to 200 satellites by 2029. In technical details, it is similar to the Starlink satellite network, which is operated by SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space company. The tender could take place as early as February.

Shares in OHB rocketed 31 per cent on January 26th, and have now doubled in value since January 1st.

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Categories: Articles, Broadband, Satellite

Tags: army, germany, LEO