Germany and France on Wednesday signed an implementation agreement for a satellite-based early warning system called Odin's Eye, which is meant to significantly improve Europe's ability to detect ballistic missile launches before handing the threat over to ground-based radars.
"It remains crucial for our joint defense that we can detect and counter threats as swiftly as possible," German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said at a signing ceremony with his new French counterpart Catherine Vautrin on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels.
The system will feature two critical early-warning components: ground-based over-the-horizon radars and a satellite constellation.
"From space, we aim to spot hostile missiles the moment they are launched. Only then we can intercept them in time."
According to the European Space Flight news website, initial development of the multinatiOnal Development INitiative for a Space-based missilE earlY-warning architecturE (ODIN’S EYE) project was funded by the European Union under the European Defence Fund.
An initial €7.5 million was awarded to an OHB System-led consortium of 34 European countries in July 2021. German space company OHB has been coordinating the development of an architecture for Odin's Eye since June 2023 when it was awarded a €90 million contract to continue the development of the system. The second phase involves the definition, development, integration, and verification of the entire mission and system simulator.