News 2026

Handelsblatt Conference “Security and Defence”

This year's Handelsblatt conference on security and defence once again impressively demonstrated the importance of space for the future of security and defence policy in Germany and Europe. The conference kicked off the year by bringing together key players from politics, the Bundeswehr, industry, and science.
The discussion panel “Europe's space industry on the rise: technologies, partnerships, resilience” with Prof. Andreas Knopp focused on a key question: How competitive is Europe's space industry in a global comparison, and what technologies are needed to ensure strategic independence?
The tenor was clear: Europe's – and especially Germany's – space industry is at a decisive turning point.
Yes, a clear development strategy for German space companies is needed. But it is equally clear that the development of critical space capabilities for the Bundeswehr, especially in the area of satellite communications, must not be delayed.
The right way forward is a two-stage approach:
1. In the short term, quickly bring a commercially available capability into orbit to meet acute needs.
2. At the same time, immediately and consistently initiate development by German industry, with the clear goal of completely replacing, not just supplementing, the initial solutions in the next stage of expansion.