OHB and European Spaceport Company welcome German defense minister Boris Pistorius’ plans to expand launch capabilities

Bremen, July 24, 2026. Space plays a key role in the security of Germany and Europe. During his summer tour, which includes visits not only to military units but also to sites of defense-related industries, German Federal Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius emphasized that a launch facility operated by the Bundeswehr is being considered. Sovereign access to space is essential for national and European defense capabilities, and in light of the increasingly challenging security environment, expanding launch sites is critical to ensuring Germany’s and Europe’s ability to respond rapidly and effectively over the long term.
OHB and the European Spaceport Company explicitly welcome this assessment. “We are making very intensive preparations to provide Germany with its own sovereign and flexible launch capability,” said Sabine von der Recke, Managing Director of the European Spaceport Company. “Particularly for military requirements, we need significantly greater resilience in launch capacities, and we are fully prepared to get started quickly.”
During his visit to the space technology company OHB in Bremen last week, Minister Pistorius also discussed launch facilities with CEO Marco Fuchs. At the subsequent press conference, Fuchs explained that work on the offshore spaceport concept is continuing: “We started with the North Sea, but the area of interest has expanded considerably. Since the initial concept was developed, demand for satellites –and therefore for launch facilities – has grown substantially. That is why we need to think big.”
The European Spaceport Company was established as a dedicated company to consolidate the OHB Group’s expertise in launch infrastructure. Its goal is to provide launch opportunities for a wide range of user groups and launch vehicles in the future. The company’s focus includes both maritime and land-based launch platforms. This approach is intended to expand the capacity of existing launch sites while also creating additional new launch opportunities.
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