Rocket Lab, a rival of SpaceX, has announced the founding of Rocket Lab Germany GmbH, headquartered in Munich. The company was registered with the local court (Amtsgericht) of Munich in mid-April. Rocket Lab stated the goal is to enable Europe's access to sovereign space capabilities.
In a press release, Rocket Lab stated that the strategic expansion marks a milestone in the company's international growth and creates conditions for a possible further expansion of satellite and component manufacturing in Germany. The company also stated that with the creation of Rocket Lab Germany, it is exploring opportunities that could lead to manufacturing activities for satellites, payloads and components in Germany, aiming to create a regional hub able to meet the evolving needs of European customers.
Rocket Lab announced the acquisition of Iridium Communications in early July.
Rocket Lab Germany will also promote its launch services via the Electron launcher and the future reusable Neutron launcher. The first flight of the Neutron launcher has been postponed again. Rocket Lab is a manufacturer of smaller launch vehicles, including the Electron rocket. The company is a New Zealand and American company.
Rocket Lab is a rival of SpaceX, which belongs to the empire of Tesla founder Elon Musk. With the founding of the German subsidiary, Rocket Lab plans to expand production in Germany to include satellites, payloads and other components, and to create a regional platform for satellite constellations.
In the spring, the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs approved Rocket Lab's acquisition of the Munich-based company Mynaric. Mynaric is a startup in the field of optical laser communication, a key technology used both civilly and militarily. The German ministry made the approval conditional on Mynaric's intellectual property, production, and research and development of key technologies and products remaining in Germany and Europe.
Rocket Lab emphasized that Mynaric will continue to produce its industry-leading optical terminals and develop future technologies for optical communication. Rocket Lab said it will apply its own proven manufacturing and supply chain expertise to increase Mynaric's capacities and efficiency and serve growing demand in Europe.
Rocket Lab has also faced challenges. In the second quarter, high costs for the expansion of launch services and production of space systems weighed on its profitability. According to figures published on Monday evening, high expenditures for the development and infrastructure of the new Neutron rocket are pressing on Rocket Lab's earnings power.
German Federal Defence Minister Boris Pistorius noted during a visit to the Isar Aerospace plant in Ottobrunn that there are too few rocket launches from Europe and too few rocket launch sites. The German Bundeswehr relies on SpaceX rockets to launch its own satellites into space. Pistorius wants to invest 35 billion euros in the security architecture in space.
The space startup Isar Aerospace had to cancel the second test flight of its Spectrum launcher four times this year. Rocket Factory Augsburg is currently preparing a test flight of a rocket in Saxavord, Scotland. Rocket Factory Augsburg, a subsidiary of the Bremen-based space company OHB, has been sued by Rocket Lab before the Munich Regional Court this year for patent infringements.
