The agreement builds on existing cooperation between the two companies and creates a framework for assessing joint opportunities. Rheinmetall said the goal is to develop future capabilities for customers in Germany and, over the longer term, other allied nations.
The core of the agreement is the planned integration of Space Norway’s C-band synthetic aperture radar satellite capabilities. These would complement Germany’s existing high-resolution X-band SAR capability under the SPOCK 1 programme, delivered by Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions using ICEYE satellite technology.
Rheinmetall said its Neuss site provides Germany’s largest industrial production capacity for SAR satellite systems. X-band SAR is intended for high-resolution surveillance of individual targets, while C-band SAR can provide broad-area coverage across large maritime regions.
Together, the two radar bands are designed to support more complete maritime domain awareness. The companies said this is increasingly important in the Arctic and North Atlantic, where long distances, severe weather and growing strategic relevance make timely and reliable information essential.
The partnership is intended to help armed forces monitor large maritime areas, identify relevant activity early and turn sensor data into actionable intelligence. Rheinmetall and Space Norway said these capabilities are central to situational awareness, decision superiority and effective operational action.
The cooperation also comes in the context of the Hansa Agreement between Germany and Norway. That framework supports deeper bilateral cooperation on sovereign and future-oriented defence capabilities.
The companies said space-based surveillance and integrated downstream services could help close existing capability gaps in the High North and North Atlantic. They said strategic autonomy in the maritime and space domains is increasingly becoming an immediate requirement for security preparedness and resilient alliance defence.
“This Memorandum of Understanding is a milestone in bringing together our complementary space capabilities and developing tailored solutions for demanding customer requirements,” said Timo Haas, CEO of Rheinmetall’s Digital Systems Division. “Our focus is on close, practical cooperation in reconnaissance and maritime surveillance, as well as providing the necessary infrastructure.”
“This agreement provides a clear foundation for jointly exploring how our satellite capabilities and infrastructure resources can contribute to existing and future operational solutions. We see particularly strong potential in large area maritime surveillance and in the development of corresponding sovereign capabilities,” said Morten Tengs, CEO of Space Norway AS.
The agreement positions Rheinmetall and Space Norway to explore combined space and maritime surveillance services for European defence users. It also reflects a wider push among allied nations to improve awareness in northern maritime regions through sovereign satellite-based capabilities.
