Space Architecture – Cyber and Information Domain Service Provides Space Support to Operations

Space constitutes an indispensable whole-ofgovernment resource whose importance goes far beyond civilian applications. To military operations, in fact, it is crucial. A “day without space” – i.e. a day without space-based services – would have a massive impact on the government, the economy and society. Without satellites and their services, systems for navigation, communication and the power supply, among others, would collapse. This would greatly impair the military’s capacity to act and exercise command and control.

In the face of growing threats and ever-evolving technology, the Bundeswehr must focus on becoming fit for the future and capable of mastering the challenges involved. In 2019, NATO officially declared space an operational domain and subsequently a war-fighting domain. The beginning of the war on Ukraine, which began with the cyberattack on the company Viasat and the concomitant heavy limitation of the command-and-control capability of the Ukrainian armed forces as a result of the satellite communications’ failure showed that NATO’s assessment was correct. The collateral damage, in particular the outage of wind power plants that were connected through Viasat, were manifest even in Germany. GPS signal interferences in the Baltic Sea region and the use of Starlink also demonstrate the importance of being able to freely access space-based services.

The Federal Republic of Germany is well aware that space and the opportunities for its use are highly relevant. A game changer for the hybrid space architecture’s becoming fit for war is the space-related investment of 35 billion euros announced by Germany’s Minister of Defense at the Space Congress held by the Federation of German Industries on 25 September 2025. This investment is reflected in the lines of action included in the first Space Safety and Security Strategy, which was published by Germany’s Federal Government in November 2025. It sets out guidelines and the framework for establishing an interconnected and resilient multi-orbit hybrid space architecture for the Bundeswehr until 2029 and beyond.

Providing reliable access to space-based services is essential for maintaining and accelerating the capability for military action. Current developments in the fields of multi-domain operations (MDO) and digitalization of land-based operations (D-LBO) show that shortening the sensor-to-shooter kill chain – i. e. the time between the reconnaissance of a target (sensor) and the effect delivered on it by an effector (shooter) – through near real-time reconnaissance with satellites will play a vital role in an operation’s success. Future weapon systems generally impose high demands in terms of data rates and worldwide availability with low latency, which can only be satisfied using space systems.

Providing not only worldwide imagery reconnaissance and communication, but also positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services as well as Earth and weather observation data, operational space support takes on a key role. Being the “eyes, ears and central nervous system of the German armed forces”, the Cyber and Information Domain Service (CIDS) pools these central services and provides them to the Bundeswehr in a consolidated manner.

CIDS’s Space Support to Operations includes the following services:

Satellite communications

For modern armed forces, having a powerful communications infrastructure is a prerequisite for the effectiveness of its the command- and-control capability. It is the only way to enable the near real-time and seamless collection, processing and distribution of information across all levels of command, ensuring information dominance. Particularly for ensuring the command-and-control capability for operations abroad and for national and collective defense, the Bundeswehr has secured access to communications satellites facilitating the worldwide exchange of data and information.

Satellite communication is enabled through the Bundeswehr’s proprietary system SATCOMBw, currently SATCOMBw Stage 2, which uses two satellites. Starting in 2027, the current system will be replaced with the successor generation SATCOMBw Stage 3 Initial Capability, which will consist of three satellites. The SATCOMBw system is positioned in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) at an altitude of approximately 36,0000 km. As part of a dual-use contract, the Bundeswehr is participating in the Heinrich Hertz mission, for which a satellite of the same name was placed in geostationary orbit on 5 July 2023. It carries not only a civilian but also a military payload. In order to fully satisfy military requirements, the Bundeswehr’s own system is complemented with provider solutions. In the medium term, the Bundeswehr intends to launch its own satellite constellation into low Earth orbit (LEO), consistingof a high three-digit number of satellites. Its aim is to provide the armed forces with broadband and fully interconnected access that is globally available.

Imagery Intelligence (IMINT)

CIDS assumes Bundeswehr-wide tasks pertaining to military intelligence and manages joint reconnaissance capabilities. With this array of systems, CIDS makes its contribution to the planning and conduct of operations on the strategic, operational and tactical levels.

For worldwide imagery reconnaissance from LEO, the Bundeswehr owns radar reconnaissance satellites (SAR – synthetic aperture radar) offering the advantageous capability of global reconnaissance at any time without violating any rights of sovereignty. Thus, they are particularly suited for gathering information in terms of early recognition of crises, crisis prevention and effective crisis management without having an escalating effect themselves. Compared to optical satellites, the radar technology used for imagery reconnaissance provides the advantage of being able to operate regardless of time of day or weather conditions. The system is a combination of satellites from the SAR-Lupe system and its successor system SARah. The SAR-Lupe system originally comprised five reflector satellites, one of which re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere on 14 January 2026. The remaining four satellites continue to operate in space. The current SARah system consists of one phased array and two reflector satellites, but will prospectively be complemented by one more phased array satellite.

In October 2026, the Bundeswehr will also be equipped with SPOCK Stage 1 (Space system for Persistent Operational traCKing), a tactical reconnaissance system in LEO. It will provide the 45th Armored Brigade in Lithuania with up-to-date images of NATO’s eastern flank offering a high degree of temporal and spatial coverage. Being a provider solution, SPOCK Stage 1 is an ad hoc initial capability procured during the watershed era following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, the Bundeswehr is working on developing a proprietary solution, SPOCK Stage 2. In terms of target capability, SPOCK Stage 2 is intended to seamlessly supersede SPOCK Stage 1 as soon as possible.

The Bundeswehr’s worldwide imagery reconnaissance is complemented through cooperating with partners, for example with the French system Composante Spatiale Optique. Comprising three satellites, this system serves as a means of electro- optical reconnaissance. The Bundeswehr will also be given rights to use the Global Electro Optical Reconnaissance System Germany of the Bundesnachrichtendienst (Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service) currently being developed. All in all, the Bundeswehr has many different reconnaissance means at its disposal.

Geoinformation support

The Bundeswehr Geoinformation Service collects important geospatial information and provides the Bundeswehr with PNT advice regarding means and procedures for determining reliable positions, ensuring safe navigation and retrieving exact time data. Space Support to Operations also contributes to geoinformation support by supplying remote sensing, weather and PNT data, which play a key role overall.

PNT comprises all procedures, information and technologies used for positioning and navigation as well as for defining and providing timing. Not only does it render the Bundeswehr capable of precise positioning and navigation in the land, air, sea and space domains and of precise engagement in all domains, including the cyber and information domain – it also enables the Bundeswehr to use reliable timers to synchronize communication and the exchange of information required for mission accomplishment.

In summary, these are the key takeaway points regarding space architecture and Space Support to Operations provided by CIDS:

Today, especially in light of the watershed era, highly available space-based services are indispensable for the armed forces as they ensure operational capability. CIDS is a driving force of the digital transformation and of rendering operational space support fit for war – i. e. establishing an interconnected and resilient multi-orbit architecture. In performing its duties, CIDS accesses services provided by numerous civilian satellites. Thanks to close cooperation with the Bundeswehr Space Command, the use of space is successfully coordinated.

The Bundeswehr Space Command provides for a safe operational environment by supplying information on the space situation and it protects satellites by planning and conducting space operations accordingly. If the use of space were constrained by a hostile attack, this would lead to immediate and significant consequences. CIDS has capabilities to generally combat different threats posed by space systems.

Kai Macht
First Lieutenant (OF–1) Kai Macht, Subject Matter Expert space in the cyber and information domain strategy branch, Cyber and Information Domain Service Headquarters

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