German Space Command

Space-based and space-supported data, services and products are an integral part of everyday life, ranging from positioning and navigation to the distribution of time signals and communication, as well as weather services and Earth observation. Alongside the economy and society, the use of space by state institutions – including the Bundeswehr – has become an essential instrument for decision-making in German foreign and security policy. Against this background, the Federal Government, together with its allies and partners, is addressing growing challenges in the space domain by strengthening national capabilities. A central element of these efforts is the German Space Command (DEU Sp Cmd).

The DEU Sp Cmd is the military command and coordination element for all military activities in the space domain. It was established in Uedem on 13 July 2021 and has been directly subordinate to the Air and Space Force Command HQ, the highest command authority of the Luftwaffe, since 1 April 2023. True to the principle of centralised command and coordination, the DEU Sp Cmd is responsible for all activities related to the standing mission for the military use of space: establishing and maintaining space domain awareness (SDA), planning and conducting space operations, coordinating mission support from space and operating the Bundeswehr's space systems. In the event of military operations, the command assumes the role of the German Space Component Command and operates under the German Joint Operational Command.

The DEU Sp Cmd combines various functions and associated tasks: In its role as the Space Component Command, it ensures the integration of space operations into an overall military operation and, in this context, also coordinates participation in the US-led standing multinational space operation ‘Operation Olympic Defender’. The DEU Space Operations Centre is the command post and manages protection and defence measures for satellites, threat defence and support services for exercises and operations. The DEU Space Intelligence Centre analyzes foreign space activities and potential threats. The military component of the German Space Situational Awareness Centre (GSSAC), together with representatives of the German Aerospace Centre's (DLR) space agency, makes a crucial contribution to the development of SDA. 

Furthermore, the DEU Sp Cmd is closely involved in bi- and multinational partnerships, for example, with the USA and France or the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) Initiative. It provides crucial impetus for the further development of space capabilities, such as improvements in space surveillance, jamming resistance and the defence of its own space systems. As the contact point for all questions relating to the military use of space, the DEU Sp Cmd plays a central role within the Bundeswehr and thus contributes significantly to Germany's security policy capability in the space domain.

German Space Situational Awareness Centre (GSSAC)

The protection of space-based infrastructure and the safety and availability of related services and products for the armed forces and government institutions – such as police, emergency services and disaster relief – require precise and reliable knowledge of the space situation. The ability to establish a reliable space situational awareness picture is of crucial importance in this regard. The German Space Situational Awareness Centre (GSSAC) in Uedem, which has been operated jointly by the German Air Force and the German Space Agency at the German Aerospace Centre DLR since 2011, plays a central role in establishing the space situation. For the DEU government, it advises the German Federal Government on any space situational awareness (SSA) topic. This facility ensures optimum and complementary use of Germany's SSA resources.

With its core capabilities in space surveillance, space reconnaissance and space weather advisory, the centre identifies and assesses risks such as space debris, potential re-entries of space objects and the effects of space weather. Its tasks include, in particular:

• Detecting, analysing and evaluating all objects and processes in near-Earth space in 24/7 shift operations, including analyzing and warning of enemy space operations against our own satellites.
• Observing and recording space weather in 24/7 shift operations, including analysis, assessment and impact analyses, as well as ad hoc, cross-departmental preparation and distribution of information and warnings.
• Creating and evaluating the SSA picture as part of a nationwide situation assessment and action capability built upon close cross-governmental cooperation.
• Operating our own or contracted space surveillance and space reconnaissance sensors.
• Establishing, maintaining and providing the European Union's space object catalogue as Germany's contribution to the European Union Space Surveillance and Tracking Program (EU SST).

Space Operations

The German Space Command coordinates all military space activities within the Bundeswehr. This includes the planning and conducting of space operations (SpOps) to ensure the secure operation of space systems and the reliable provision of space-based data, services and products in support of military missions.

The J2 division analyses foreign space activities and assesses the intentions and capabilities of other space actors in order to generate the overall situation picture.

During the planning phase, the J5 division identifies planned space usage and dependencies of deployed forces. Based on this information, it develops a complementary plan for the space domain and thereby establishes the own situation picture. Within the J3 Space Operations Centre, all ongoing operations are monitored. Reports on RED and BLUE situations are combined with the space situational picture to generate the overall operational picture for the space domain.

Whenever pre-planned procedures or sudden changes in the situation require action, coordination is initiated from here. If routine operational procedures must be adjusted to protect a system from a threat, all stakeholders must be informed about potential limitations in use and work together in a coordinated manner. 

This coordination is based on a plan developed by the Joint Space Operations Planning Group, covering anticipated scenarios. 

Capability Development & Cooperation

The Capability Development and Cooperation Division focuses on the further development of military space capabilities and the strengthening of national and international partnerships. The Capability Development branch addresses a wide range of conceptual and technical development topics in the space domain. This also includes supporting projects, the procurement process, research and development activities and the supervision of studies. The Cooperation branch has extensive experience in national and international cooperation, both bilateral and multilateral. It serves as the central point of contact for international liaison organisations, for governmental partners involved in the national use of space and related security tasks, as well as for commercial actors in the space sector.