Rheinmetall to make satellites in Germany for ICeye
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Defence and automotive manufacturer Rheinmetall is setting up a joint venture with ICeye of Finland to make satellites in Germany.
The deal highlights the shift to more defence spending, and follows Rheinmetall shifting two automotive factories to military production. The satellites will be made at the automotive plant in Neuss that was part of that shift.
Production of the satellites by Rheinmetall ICeye Space Solutions is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2026 starting with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites and subsequently other space systems.
Rheinmetall is to be the majority shareholder in the new joint venture named Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions with 60 per cent of the shares, while ICEYE will hold 40 per cent. The foundation is still subject to definitive agreements and official approvals.
The two companies started working together in June 2024, where Rheinmetall had secured exclusive rights to market the SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites to military and government end users in both the German and Hungarian markets.
To meet Ukraine’s urgent need for SAR imaging satellite reconnaissance capabilities, Rheinmetall and Ukraine had signed a contract in November to extend the SAR data and other support that Ukraine received from ICEYE during the war.
“With the establishment of the new joint venture, we are making further inroads into the space domain,” says Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall which is a major producer of ammunition. “We are thus not only responding to the increased demand for space-based reconnaissance capabilities among armed and security forces worldwide, but also contributing to the preservation and expansion of Germany as a centre of technology. Our highly qualified colleagues at the Neuss site are being given a promising new perspective for the future. We are delighted to expand our cooperation with our proven partner ICEYE.”
“ICEYE aims to be the primary provider of critical infrastructure for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) to allied nations. We are excited to deepen our strategic collaboration with Rheinmetall by establishing a joint venture. This joint venture further strengthens our focus on developing space-based technology for the needs of global defence markets and securing sovereign defence capabilities for Europe,” says Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and Co-founder of ICEYE.
SAR satellites offer the advantage over conventional satellites that they can generate high-resolution images regardless of weather conditions or time of day. These are very detailed and make even the smallest objects on the earth’s surface identifiable. This can bring decisive advantages for the armed forces in terms of surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance, or their own positioning on the battlefield.
ICeye has also opened a Research & Development and Manufacturing Centre in Valencia, Spain, which will be the company’s second-largest R&D hub. This will drive research and manufacturing of SAR-based and future multi-sensor technologies.
“With this significant investment in Spain, we are enhancing the development and manufacturing of our Earth observation technologies as we expand our global presence. Our SAR technology has proven crucial for sectors such as defense and intelligence, security, maritime monitoring, insurance, and natural catastrophe response. We continue to invest in developing and expanding our leading SAR satellite constellation, delivering satellite missions to our customers. We are also advancing our Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform and related systems for our customers in the defense sector,” said Modrzewski.
“Valencia was selected for our R&D and Manufacturing Centre due to its highly skilled talent pool, the area’s nascent and highly promising New Space ecosystem and infrastructure for innovation and technology, and the operational efficiency of the area. We anticipate expanding our Valencia team to over 100 employees within the next three years. We are actively seeking to grow our global team of engineers, scientists, and innovators with skilled professionals in Valencia to contribute to cutting-edge space technology and make a tangible impact on global security and resilience,” said Gonzalo Garcia-Munoz, CEO of ICEYE Spain and Global SVP of Operations at ICEYE.
www.iceye.com; www.rheinmetall.com
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