{"id":118632,"date":"2026-03-27T11:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T10:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/?p=118632"},"modified":"2026-03-26T09:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T08:36:09","slug":"why-europes-mega-constellations-could-fail-due-to-software-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/en\/118632\/why-europes-mega-constellations-could-fail-due-to-software-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Europe's mega-constellations could fail due to a software problem"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Daniel Holle, Domain Lead Space at Helsing<\/a>He sees mega-constellations primarily as a software and data problem \u2013 not primarily a hardware issue. He revealed this at the Munich Space Summit. panel discussion<\/a>. Livio Tucci (Director Consulting Expert Space, CGI) was also on the panel with him. Thomas Sinn<\/a> (Founder and CEO of Dcubed), Siegbert Martin (CTO of Tesat), and Alessandro Marini (Data Handling Engineer at Thales Alenia Space). This is crucial for the European space ecosystem because future competitiveness will be defined by AI, software cycles, and system orchestration, not by individual satellite programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes the discussion particularly interesting is that many stakeholders are still talking about numbers and programs. Helsing clearly shifts the focus to the operational reality of large constellations. Because with an increasing number of satellites, the complexity of data processing, control, and security grows exponentially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helsing: AI is to orchestrate thousands of satellites<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For Holle, the central paradigm shift lies not only in the scaling of satellites, but above all in how they are operated. Classic, heavily human-controlled systems reach their limits with constellations containing hundreds or thousands of units. His approach therefore relies on the targeted use of artificial intelligence. This intelligence is intended to take over key orchestration tasks in the future: from controlling and coordinating entire satellite constellations to prioritizing and processing large amounts of data, all the way to automating operational decisions in real time. Helsing thus describes a model in which constellations are no longer managed manually, but function as largely autonomous systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Software cycles instead of hardware thinking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A central point in Holle's argument is the discrepancy between hardware and software innovation cycles. While satellites are developed over years, new software and AI functions emerge in weeks or months. From his perspective, this signifies a fundamental strategic shift for space travel. More intelligence must be integrated into software, satellites must be capable of long-term updates, and computing power in orbit must be planned with future applications in mind. Holle deliberately draws parallels to the automotive industry and consumer tech platforms, where systems are no longer static but are continuously developed and improved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

"When I worked at Google in Mountain View, I integrated Android software into cars. And it was really, really difficult to convince all the manufacturers to integrate this way of thinking into their cars. We need to think about this model as well."<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

so Daniel Holle<\/strong> in the panel discussion at the Munich Space Summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New role of satellites: Data and compute nodes in space<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As a consequence, the role of individual satellites is also fundamentally changing. According to Helsing, they will no longer be merely carriers of sensors or communication systems, but rather active nodes in a networked system. They will take on tasks such as direct data processing in orbit, the forwarding and fusion of information between different satellites, and the utilization of unused computing resources for additional applications. In this way, space travel is increasingly approaching familiar architectural principles from cloud and network infrastructures \u2013 only shifted to space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helsing's space strategy: End-to-end instead of niche solution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When asked, Holle also elaborated on Helsing's strategic direction in the space sector. The Munich-based company pursues a clear end-to-end approach. This encompasses the integration of satellite hardware, data processing in orbit, and its analysis and use on the ground. Helsing does not rely solely on in-house development, but also strategically pursues partnerships. Holle cited a collaboration with Kongsberg and Hensoldt as an example. This allows them to jointly cover this value chain. For Helsing, space is therefore by no means a secondary field, but rather a strategic expansion of its existing expertise in defense and AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Europe's structural problem: too slow, not scalable enough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to technological issues, Holle also addressed structural weaknesses of the European ecosystem. His central criticism: Europe still thinks too much in terms of small batch sizes and not enough on an industrial scale. While Europe possesses excellent engineering expertise, production capacities are too low, scaling is approached too hesitantly, and time-to-market is too slow compared to other countries. Holle thus confirms the assessment that Europe's challenge lies less in the technology itself, but rather in its consistent industrialization and large-scale implementation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hardware remains important \u2013 but not sufficient.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even though Helsing clearly focuses on software, the panel discussion made it clear that hardware continues to play a central role. Companies like Dcubed are working to make components available in large quantities, thereby creating the industrial basis for configurations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this is precisely where the interplay becomes apparent: without scalable hardware, there are no large-scale configurations \u2013 without intelligent software, there is no efficient use of these systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Competition is decided by speed.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In closing, Livio Tucci brought the day's discussion at the Munich Space Summit to a crucial point: Scaling constellations should not be confused with mere growth. Instead of launching ever more satellites, the focus must shift to sustainable and efficient operation. A prerequisite for this is the implementation of automation and autonomy, as human control no longer scales effectively at this scale. At the same time, trust in these systems is essential. This is achieved particularly through transparent and reliable human-machine interfaces that provide decision-makers with a sound basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Dcubed founder Thomas Sinn advocated for a fundamental rethink in Europe: Instead of acting cautiously, the industry needs to think much bigger. A comparison with the USA, in particular, shows that they are scaling more ambitiously and investing more boldly \u2013 a standard that Europe must also meet in the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mega-constellations are considered the next major step in the evolution of space travel \u2013 but for Daniel Holle von Helsing, the competition isn't decided in space, but in software, as he made clear at the Munich Space Summit. The Munich-based defense AI specialist argues that only AI and rapid software cycles will make the operation of thousands of satellites manageable in the first place.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":118635,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5638,1],"tags":[5269,4464,4156],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWarum Europas Mega-Konstellationen am Software-Problem scheitern k\u00f6nnten - Munich Startup<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Beim Munich Space Summit wird diskutiert, warum Europa f\u00fcr Mega-Konstellationen mehr KI, Software und Serienfertigung braucht.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cms.munich-startup.net\/en\/118632\/why-europes-mega-constellations-could-fail-due-to-software-problems\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Warum Europas Mega-Konstellationen am Software-Problem scheitern k\u00f6nnten - 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