Satellite Firm ICEYE Launches German Entity
ICEYE SAR satellite image of Berlin - © ICEYE
ICEYE, the company known for its satellite based radar intelligence, has officially set up shop in Germany. According to a press release from the company, the new German entity is based out of both Berlin and Munich, and comes with a new leader: Philipp Herkelmann has been named CEO of ICEYE Germany.
The plan for the German arm is ambitious. It will manufacture satellite components, build out advanced software, and open an AI center along with an intelligence group. That puts Germany firmly at the center of what ICEYE calls one of Europe's most important defence and industrial regions.
The move also strengthens ICEYE's existing partnership with Rheinmetall. Together the two companies run Rheinmetall ICEYE Space Solutions, a joint venture focused on building sovereign space capability for Europe.
Herkelmann laid out the plan: "We're building in Berlin and Munich. Berlin becomes our AI and Data hub, home to an Intelligence Center and an AI Software Development Center. Munich focuses on research, systems development, and component production. Together, we target around 200 highly qualified roles by the end of 2027."
Rafal Modrzewski, co-founder and CEO of ICEYE, called the company a European success story, noting that he and his co-founder met through the Erasmus programme and got early EU Horizon research funding. He says the new entity is the next step in a long term commitment to Germany.
Herkelmann, who previously worked at Google, EU Inc and Entrepreneur First, has led the German buildup since early 2026. He points to Germany's engineering talent and industrial partners as reasons the country is set to become a cornerstone of Europe's sovereign intelligence capability.
ICEYE operates the world's largest SAR satellite constellation and already counts seven European governments as customers for sovereign satellite systems.
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