A satellite production line in Neuss, on the banks of the Rhine, is now turning out radar reconnaissance satellites for Germany. Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions said in an Oct. 6, 2026 release that “production of SAR satellites has successfully commenced at the Neuss site.” The same release says the German Armed Forces now have direct access to several synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites dedicated to their use, a capability “being used primarily to protect the brigade in Lithuania and to monitor NATO’s eastern flank.”
The production rate is a goal, not a result. The company says it aims “to build and certify several dozen satellites for launch into Earth’s orbit each year” at the site. The Oct. 6 release does not say how many satellites Neuss has finished so far, or when the first will launch.
The milestone is set out in Rheinmetall’s Oct. 6, 2026 release. According to the release, the Bundeswehr can now task those satellites independently, building on SAR capabilities it already draws from other satellites. Rheinmetall ICEYE operates the satellites and is expanding the constellation, the company says, and the work at Neuss covers production, integration, testing and quality assurance.
What SPOCK 1 buys the Bundeswehr
The program is called SPOCK 1, which the release says “stands for ‘SAR Space System for Persistent Operational Tracking, Stage 1.'” Rheinmetall describes it as “the initial phase of a national radar reconnaissance system,” one “designed for continuous, all-weather satellite surveillance.”
The contract behind it was announced by ICEYE on Dec. 18, 2025. In that release, ICEYE said the customer is the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) and that the deal is “valued at approximately €1.7 billion gross,” with an extension option. ICEYE said the contract “runs from the end of 2025 to the end of 2030 with options to extend.”
Under that contract, per ICEYE, the joint venture supplies space-based reconnaissance data through exclusive access to a SAR constellation, including satellite operations, ground station management and AI-driven image evaluation. ICEYE said the constellation “remains the property of” Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions rather than passing to the Bundeswehr.
Radar is the point of the system. Rather than relying on reflected sunlight, a SAR satellite images the ground with its own radar, and ICEYE’s December release says the technology “can see through clouds, smoke, ash, rain, and sandstorms to capture imagery day and night in any weather.” That is what Rheinmetall means by “all-weather” surveillance for the brigade in Lithuania.
Neuss: the schedule versus the claim
ICEYE’s December 2025 release said production of the first joint-venture satellites was “scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2026” at Neuss, where the joint venture is based. The Oct. 6 release reports that production has begun. Rheinmetall says the milestone came less than a year after the contract was signed.
What is on the record so far is access and a started production line. The Bundeswehr is using several dedicated satellites now, per Rheinmetall. The output of “several dozen” a year from Neuss is a stated aim, and the release gives no total for the constellation and no launch dates.
Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, said in the release that “the successful start of production in Neuss demonstrates that we not only provide innovative space technology, but can also scale it up industrially in Germany.” Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and co-founder of ICEYE, tied the speed to his company’s operating history:
“Every SPOCK 1 satellite carries the lessons of years of ICEYE operating the world’s largest SAR constellation for government customers. That track record combined with Rheinmetall’s industrial scale is why Germany could move from contract to capability this fast. Our job now is to hold that pace as the system grows.”
The constellation-size claim is ICEYE’s own. The contract term set out by ICEYE runs to the end of 2030, and SPOCK 1 is, by Rheinmetall’s description, only the first stage of the national system.
Top image: An artist’s concept of the NASA-ISRO NISAR radar satellite in orbit. ICEYE’s satellites are not shown. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech — Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Combat Rated editors prior to publication.