Helsing and OHB Join Forces on Space-Based Reconnaissance Venture

Helsing and OHB join forces on space-based reconnaissance venture

German firms join forces on space surveillance system

German defense tech start-up Helsing and space technology group OHB on Tuesday unveiled a joint venture to develop an AI-powered surveillance and targeting system for use in outer space.

Drone consortium and satellite builder form KIRK to bid for Spock 2

Last September Germany pledged it would spend €35bn on space tech before 2030, spurred by the war in Ukraine and high reliance on the US for intelligence Satellite producer OHB has joined a consortium led by the drone start-up Helsing to develop a space-based tactical surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting system. The start-up is based in Bremen and backed by the Swedish tech billionaire Daniel Ek, who is the founder and executive chairman o…

Helsing and OHB form KIRK space targeting joint venture

Munich-based defense AI company Helsing and Bremen space prime OHB announced on May 19, 2026, that they have established a joint venture to develop a space-based tactical surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting system, expanding a European consortium first formed in December 2025.  The joint venture carries the working title KIRK, short for ‘Künstliche Intelligenz und Raumfahrt-Kompetenz’, which translates to ‘Artificial Intelligence and Spa…

Helsing and OHB form KIRK joint venture for European tactical space-based reconnaissance system

The joint venture also gives Helsing and OHB joint leadership of a consortium that includes Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Hensoldt. OHB is joining the alliance, which was first announced in December 2025 by Helsing, Kongsberg and HENSOLDT to develop a European space-based tactical targeting system. The consortium is intended to address a capability gap on the modern battlefield, where traditional reconnaissance alone is no longer considered …