Alliance for Europe’s Space at ILA Berlin 2026

ASIM, Jun 12

The #ILA26 in Berlin served as the backdrop for a significant expansion of the #KIRK (Artificial Intelligence and Space Competence) joint venture. Formed by Helsing and OHB SE, the venture is actively building a robust network alongside KONGSBERG Defence & Aerospace, HENSOLDT, and a diverse coalition of innovative startups and SMEs.

A Milestone of Seven Strategic MoUs: The event saw the formal signing of seven cooperation agreements (MoUs) aimed at integrating the innovation power of the European New Space ecosystem into ambitious, space-based defence and reconnaissance systems. By uniting complementary expertise, this alliance seeks to accelerate technological development and enhance operational readiness.

The partnerships involve a broad spectrum of industry leaders and pioneers:

• OHB collaborations: constellr, Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), and Marble Imaging.
• Helsing collaborations: Data Machine Intelligence and TerraLens.
• Joint initiatives: Helsing and OHB Digital have partnered with LiveEO, while Isar Aerospace has entered into an agreement with Kongsberg.

Driving European Autonomy: The strategy is clear: early integration of market-ready solutions is essential to boosting speed, technological sovereignty, and performance. As Dr. Gundbert Scherf (Co-CEO, Helsing) noted, the objective is to secure Europe’s sovereignty in orbit through collaboration, agility, and the best minds in the field.

Marco Fuchs (CEO, OHB SE) emphasized that embedding the innovative power of startups is key to developing high-performance, rapidly deployable systems. Through the KIRK network, the bridge between established industrial power and agile New Space enterprises is being solidified.

This initiative represents a pivotal step in establishing Germany as a leading space power and cultivating a resilient, integrated European space ecosystem. The future of space is being defined by this synergy of industrial scale and entrepreneurial innovation.

#ILA26 #SpaceIndustry #Defence #Innovation #EuropeanSovereignty #NewSpace #KIRK