Between innovation and security: The German government wants to strengthen Germany's role in the national and European space security architecture.
On 19 November 2025, the Federal Ministry of Defense and the Federal Foreign Office presented the first national Space Safety and Security Strategy, which aims to cover all security-relevant areas, describe challenges, improve the ability to act in space and rapidly expand defense capabilities. In particular, the strategy is intended to help ensure security, resilience and defense capabilities in space:
The overriding objective is to secure Germany's ability to act in space in both the civilian and military sectors, in times of peace and in times of crisis
To this end, the Space Safety and Security Strategy identifies three strategic action areas in which all national space players must take action. This article provides an overview of some of the most important aspects of the strategy.
Action area 1: identifying risks and threats and developing options for action
The Space Safety and Security Strategy recognises the crucial importance of space-based and space-supported data as well as the risks to society, emergency procedures, security and logistics in the event of a failure of the underlying space technology and complex threat situations such as cyberattacks. Of particular importance is the ability to recognise risks and threats at an early stage and develop suitable courses of action to ward them off.
The strategy therefore recognises the indispensability and high relevance of space-based navigation systems (e.g. GPS, Galileo) and satellite-based early warning systems using communication, earth observation and reconnaissance satellites. The strategy calls for increased research and development for cloud-based and artificial intelligence (AI) supported European services for the official use of a single point of access to remote sensing data and processing resources. According to the strategy, the key technologies for the development of resilient civilian and military satellites require the development of national and European autonomy.
Action area 2: Promoting international cooperation and sustainable order
The Space Safety and Security Strategy emphasises Germany's commitment to the peaceful and rules-based use of outer space and to working towards a rules-based world order. For this reason, international space-related law should be strengthened on the basis of the Outer Space Treaty and partnerships with like-minded nations should be expanded. The strategy announces that Germany will take a leading role in shaping the development of a European space security architecture, play a key role in implementing the EU Space Strategy for Security and Defense and the EU White Paper for European Defense Readiness and support the further development of satellite-based military early warning. With several competitive programmes for launch vehicles and spacecrafts, Europe must ensure independent access to space in the future, which also has sufficient capacity for launches and transport.
They also want to take a stand against an arms race in space by banning irresponsible and threatening behaviour. Multilaterally agreed standards and norms help to distinguish between responsible and irresponsible or threatening behaviour. To this end, the strategy recalls Germany's voluntary commitment in 2022 to refrain from destructive tests with anti-satellite missiles.
The space strategy also includes a call for further multilateral arrangements for the use of very low earth orbits and a commitment to examine the promotion of a sustainable legal order for space at national or European level.
Action area 3: Building deterrence and strengthening defense capabilities and resilience
According to the strategy, the Bundeswehr must also be ready for deployment in space at all times to ensure a credible defense capability with the aim of deterrence. Among other things, the space strategy categorises international cooperation and standards, strategically important space technologies and resilience, particularly with regard to cyber security, as being immensely import for this.
Developing a national space security architecture
In addition to developing a European space security architecture, similar measures should also be taken at national level for a defensive, resilient and cooperative space security architecture. Assessing the situation, increasing the resilience of the deployed systems and protecting and defending these systems are indispensable components of this. In addition to other measures such as providing targeted support for the German space industry, a number of legislative projects are also mentioned. Among other things, defense-related infrastructure will in future be classified as critical a new critical infrastructure sector “Space” through the proposed umbrella law on critical infrastructure.
The Federal Government also aims to create a legal framework and contracts to ensure the provision of services by industry in the event of a conflict or defense and reduce dependency on imports for key technologies through increased national development. Furthermore, the space and cyber security capabilities of the Bundeswehr and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) are to be expanded and the military use of heavy and micro launchers, reusable spacecrafts and multifunctional satellite mega-constellations will be pursued, among other things.
AI and data in the Space Safety and Security Strategy
The Space Safety and Security Strategy also emphasises the relevance of AI and the use of space-based and space-supported data and points out the consequences of a failure or disruption, particularly in data use, which would have an impact on security-relevant aspects such as emergency services, civil protection, navigation systems, logistics and information management and communication services. In connection with developing a space security architecture, the Space Safety and Security Strategy announces that the German government would like to promote increased cooperation and technical implementation with regard to AI-supported data analysis, the software required for this and European data centre locations.
In addition to quantum technologies, research and development will also focus on AI and data utilisation. In particular, the aim is to investigate how these technologies can be integrated into the space security architecture.
German Space Safety and Security Strategy 2025: legal framework and billions invested in national and military space security
According to the strategy paper, the three strategic action areas mentioned above result in concrete lines of action and tasks that are to be implemented by the respective federal ministries. From a legal perspective, this primarily includes developing national legal positions on the implementation and application of international space law and participating in the development of legal frameworks for the military use of outer space in the event of crisis, conflict or defense. The Space Safety and Security Strategy also envisages further expanding space-related national and European capabilities using both European civil and commercial space systems and strengthening resilience.
In terms of financial resources, the Space Safety and Security Strategy should be seen in the context of the Federal Minister of Defense's commitment to provide a total of EUR 35 billion for space travel and space security from the defense budget by 2030. The strategy once again emphasises the importance of space and, according to the press release from November 2025, is to be implemented swiftly.
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