The move builds on Rocket Lab’s acquisition of Munich-based Mynaric AG, a producer of laser optical communications terminals. Mynaric will continue manufacturing optical terminals and developing future optical communications technologies within Rocket Lab.
Rocket Lab plans to apply its manufacturing and supply-chain expertise to increase Mynaric’s production scale and efficiency. The company said the operation will serve demand from customers in Europe and other international markets.
Beyond optical communications, Rocket Lab Germany is pursuing opportunities that could lead to satellite, payload and component manufacturing in the country. That could establish Germany as a regional hub for constellation-scale manufacturing serving European programmes.
The expansion comes amid increasing European focus on strategic autonomy and sovereignty in space. Rocket Lab expects European demand over the next decade to require thousands of satellites for commercial, defence and national security missions.
Rocket Lab Germany is also intended to provide European programmes with access to the company’s Electron and Neutron launch vehicles. The company said combining domestic spacecraft production with launch services could provide critical European programmes with assured access to space.
“Europe’s space industry is undergoing a profound structural shift toward an era defined by speed, commercial agility, and absolute technical sovereignty,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck. “The demand for sovereign space capability has never been more urgent.”
“Europe faces glaring gaps across both launch and spacecraft manufacturing. Rocket Lab Germany addresses these directly, combining opportunities for high-frequency access to space with high-volume satellite production to deploy resilient constellations on rapid timelines,” Beck said.
“With this strategic expansion, Rocket Lab is making a clear commitment to Europe that ensures the region has domestic strength to secure, defend, and discover in a rapidly evolving new space era,” Beck said. The establishment of Rocket Lab Germany forms part of the company’s wider international expansion and its push to build a larger presence in Europe.
