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Germany plans to allocate $41 billion to space defense projects by 2030, a major step in its effort to protect satellites and communications networks against growing threats from Russia and China.

The announcement was made by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius during the German industry’s third Space Congress in Berlin on September 25, 2025.

“Russia and China have in recent years rapidly expanded their capabilities for conducting warfare in space,” Pistorius said. “They can disrupt, jam, manipulate, or even physically destroy satellites. In space, there are no borders or continents.”

The minister emphasized that Germany is moving to establish permanent structures within the armed forces to defend against potential attacks in orbit. “We are establishing structures within the German Armed Forces to enable us to effectively defend ourselves and deter potential adversaries in space,” he said.

Pistorius detailed plans for a comprehensive space security architecture that would combine hardened satellite constellations, secure launch facilities, ground stations, and cyber protections across all systems. The strategy also includes a dedicated military satellite operations center within the Bundeswehr’s Space Command, which was created in 2021 under the German Air Force.

🇩🇪Defence Minister Pistorius: "Space has no limits, so we should also not set any boundaries when it comes to our security" 🚀🪐
This is why Germany plans to invest 35 billion Euro in space security by 2030. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/jnGy6RtUNL

— Germany at NATO (@GermanyNATO) September 25, 2025

The defense minister underlined that Germany’s system will aim not only to resist cyber intrusions but also to withstand physical threats. Germany is improving orbital surveillance through radars and telescopes, as well as planning the future deployment of its own space surveillance satellites. The goal is to ensure resilience against jamming and disruption attempts that could paralyze communications, energy supply, and military operations.

He pointed to the Russian cyberattack on the ViaSat satellite network before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which cut off the operational control of roughly 6,000 wind turbines in Germany. The incident, he argued, showed how vulnerable modern societies are to attacks on space infrastructure. “Satellite networks today are an Achilles heel of modern societies. Whoever attacks them paralyzes entire nations,” Pistorius said.

Adversaries in Orbit

Beyond cyber and electronic warfare threats, Germany is watching developments in Russia and China closely. Pistorius said Russian satellites had recently shadowed Intelsat communications systems used by the Bundeswehr, questioning “the purely peaceful nature” of such actions. “Russia’s behavior, especially in space, poses a fundamental threat to us all. It is a threat that we can no longer ignore,” he warned.

China, too, has rapidly expanded its military space capabilities, including the ability to maneuver satellites, conduct jamming, and test anti-satellite missiles. Together, Moscow and Beijing are seen by Berlin as the leading challengers to the safety of European and allied assets in orbit.

Germany’s response marks a clear policy departure. For years, Berlin maintained a defensive approach in space, stressing international cooperation and compliance with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

That treaty, signed by 117 countries including all major spacefaring nations, bans the placement of weapons of mass destruction in orbit and requires that celestial bodies be used “exclusively for peaceful purposes.” But it does not prevent states from developing other military systems in space.

In his address, Pistorius said deterrence now requires more than defensive measures. “We must also be able to deter in space to be defensible,” he declared, leaving open the possibility of developing offensive capabilities.

Germany’s Military Expansion

The decision to dedicate $41 billion to space defense is part of a larger trend in German security policy since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Germany announced a historic shift in 2022, pledging a €100 billion ($112 billion) special fund to modernize the Bundeswehr. Since then, Germany has risen to become the fourth-largest defense spender worldwide, behind only the United States, China, and Russia.

Berlin’s military modernization drive has included purchases of F-35 fighter jets, upgrades to missile defense systems, and expanded commitments to NATO deployments. The new focus on space reflects the recognition that future conflicts will extend beyond land, sea, and air into orbit.

Analysts note that Germany’s investment will also bolster NATO’s wider space posture. In 2019, NATO formally declared space an operational domain, and member states have been working to improve coordination on satellite resilience and data sharing.

Germany’s investment is expected to complement similar efforts by France, which maintains a military space command, and the United States, which created its own Space Force in 2019.

The long-term goal of Berlin’s program is to ensure that Germany has autonomous capabilities to protect its assets in orbit without relying entirely on allies. This includes independent surveillance, command, and launch systems, along with industrial capacity to develop and sustain them.

Pistorius’s comments suggest a more assertive German stance in the militarization of space, signaling to both allies and rivals that Berlin is prepared to contribute resources and technology to safeguard Europe’s collective security. The plan represents both an expansion of Germany’s defense ambitions and a recognition of space as a decisive arena in modern warfare.