Defense wants to send its own satellites into space

At present, our country still depends on other countries or commercial companies for the use of satellites. As a result, the army cannot decide for itself where and when the necessary information is collected.

“It is crucial that the Netherlands develops its own space capability in addition to using existing capability,” says Van der Maat. “By developing its own innovation capabilities, the Netherlands is emerging as a relevant partner in space.”

Up to 250 million euros

As the Netherlands does not have its own satellites, it is not possible to use satellites from other countries. These countries want something in return for the services they provide, and without their own satellites, the Netherlands cannot give back. The Secretary of State wants to invest between 100 and 250 million euros to buy his own satellites.

With this money, small satellites will be developed and launched into space. Small satellites are cheaper than large ones, so they can launch more and monitor more areas.

Among other things, small satellites must be able to analyze the terrain and thus map accessibility. They can also detect cloaking devices and automatically identify ships, vehicles and aircraft.

Additionally, these small satellites can communicate via laser instead of radio signals. As a result, more data can be sent and messages are harder to listen to.

Van der Maat hopes to have the first working satellite in space by 2025.