Rohde & Schwarz (Munich, Germany) has taken a 25% stake in satellite-based signal intelligence start-up Orbint GmbH.
Announcing the strategic partnership in mid-November, Rohde & Schwarz said its investment in Orbint would offer the German armed forces “a sovereign solution with a national capability to ensure and further develop their ability to conduct signal intelligence reconnaissance from space.”
Orbint was founded in 2025 by four University of the Bundeswehr Munich research assistants. The company is building a satellite constellation designed to detect, identify, and geolocate electromagnetic signals globally in near real-time.
Alexander Schmidt, co-founder and co-managing director of Orbint GmbH, said in a press release that Rohde & Schwarz was a partner that “would not only contribute capital, but also create real added value with their technological depth, substantive expertise and market proximity.”
Orbint emerged as a spin-off from the SeRANIS (Seamless Radio Access Networks for Internet of Space) small satellite mission funded by dtec.bw. SeRANIS – Germany’s largest university aerospace research project – is a Low Earth Orbit multifunctional laboratory hosting a number of experiments, including space-based communications and reconnaissance technologies. – R. Scott
