TNO and NLR aim to accelerate Dutch autonomy in space
With government support, the national space sector wants to develop high-quality satellite systems.
Published on May 18, 2025
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TNO, NLR, and space industry association SpaceNed have asked the State Secretary for Defense to launch and further develop high-quality satellite systems. With government support, the national space sector wants to be crucial in preventing blindness and deafness to current and future threats.
The war in Ukraine is clearly contributing to the tensions between the current geopolitical power blocs. As a result, the world feels less safe than it did before Russia's invasion. As a NATO ally, the Netherlands must contribute to joint measures. This also applies to the Dutch space sector, which has drawn up a proposal.
This proposal, 'Military use of Space', was recently presented to Gijs Tuinman, State Secretary for Defense. “It is great that the sector has come up with this proposal for a Dutch defense satellite constellation,” he said. “The urgency is great, and we are all aware of that. Money, knowledge, and resources go hand in hand. We must develop appropriate and adequate responses as quickly as possible to undesirable situations that may arise shortly.”
Mark van Venrooij, Vice President Aerospace Systems at NLR (Netherlands Aerospace Center): “With government support, the Netherlands can accelerate the launch of high-quality satellite systems and further development with state-of-the-art innovations. These are essential elements in staying ahead of future threats.” Hendrik-Jan van Veen, Managing Director Defense and Security at TNO, adds: “The situation in Ukraine teaches us once again that the space domain is of great importance for ensuring security and information dominance. Strategic autonomy is also an important element in this regard.”
Leading
“The Netherlands is one of the leading European countries in the field of high-tech and reliable space solutions,” continues Jeroen Rotteveel, chairman of the space industry association SpaceNed, who presented the proposal to the State Secretary. ”It is only logical that we respond to this as a sector. SpaceNed acts as a connecting link between all parties involved to stimulate the Dutch space sector, create growth opportunities, and tackle these challenges for the Netherlands through space solutions."
Various companies will develop the satellite network in the Dutch space industry in collaboration with knowledge partners NLR and TNO. First up is FSO Instruments, which specializes in laser satellite communications. Next is VDL-ETG, which is working on the serial production of satellites. Then there is satellite developer ISISPACE and S[&]T, a technical company specializing in antennas, data processing, and positioning, navigation, and timing, among other things.
