ICEYE SAR satellites ready for launch.

Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions established, satellite production to start in 2026

Europe badly needs satellites that it controls. It needs them for a lot of reasons, but the reliance on the US and the country’s ability to control access to those resources is one of them. There are efforts to establish sovereign capabilities, and Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions, the new joint venture between the companies, is worth watching precisely for this reason. 

Following a preliminary announcement in May of this year, Rheinmetall and ICEYE have inked the paperwork establishing the Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions joint venture (JV). In doing so, the companies pave the way for domestic production of ICEYE’s dominant synthetic aperture radar satellites in Germany from 2026. 

60% of the JV between the Finnish and German companies is owned by Rheinmetall with ICEYE holding the remainder. They have agreed to establish a new production capability in Neuss, Germany, transferring parts of the existing Rheinmetall plant that worked in the civilian power sector over to the company’s defence business. 

The pair are already working together to provide satellite imagery to Ukraine. That deal began in November 2024, when Rheinmetall and Ukraine, with German government support, contracted ICEYE to provide SAR imaging satellite reconnaissance capabilities to address an urgent need during the ongoing war. Separately Rheinmetall has secured marketing rights to market ICEYE’s satellites to Germany and Hungary. 

Germany does have existing SAR capabilities. In 2023, OHB System announced that the SARah reconnaissance satellites – consisting of a constellation of three satellites – had successfully launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. SARah is expected to replace Germany’s SAR-Lupe system, which has been operational since 2008.  

However, the project has taken more than a decade to deliver its satellites into orbit. The delivery times for the Dutch satellites ordered earlier this year, or those produced by Rheinmetall is unclear, but ICEYE can provide almost instant access to imagery from its existing constellation. In addition, it can provide twice daily revisit times for large portions of the earth. This is the pace and scale of modern satellite deployments. Moreover, ICEYE’s constellations provide very high resolution imagery, and have achieved new capabilities through a series of software updates. 

All of that is to say that Rheinmetall’s involvement will certainly help increase European production of satellites, but may also add a new option to Germany’s satellite procurements. 

Calibre comment: Playing well with others

Key NATO states share capabilities like satellites, providing the intelligence resources in their armies with a valuable pipeline of imagery that may not be available otherwise. The US is arguably the dominant space power with multiple orbital capabilities ranging from imagery reconnaissance, to signals intelligence, and early warning for missile launches. However, as much as the US government can share those resources, it can also refuse to share them if it feels it is not in the US interest to do so. This is a problem for European powers, who have come to the realisation that America’s pivot to the Indo-Pacific and irritation at European defence spending are not the sole preserve of President Trump. Successive US administrations since Obama have called for increased European spending, as well as a greater US presence in the Indo-Pacific. So, establishing a sovereign space-based reconnaissance capability is now high on the priority list for many European NATO states. Companies like ICEYE and Rheinmetall could be well-placed to support those ambitions. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on November 11th, 2025. The lead image shows a set of ICEYE satellites attached to a launch rocket. Credit: ICEYE.

editor's pick

Get insider news, tips, and updates. No spam, just the good stuff!

you might also like