GSK Stockmann provided antitrust and public procurement law advice to the Bremen-based space technology company OHB SE in connection with a joint satellite project with Rheinmetall Digital. Once approved by the relevant merger control authorities, the joint venture could soon be working on a communications satellite network for the German Federal Ministry of Defence, should it be awarded the contract.
The GSK Stockmann team, led by partners Dr Jenny Mehlitz and Dr Simon Spangler, provided OHB SE with antitrust and public procurement law advice in connection with this important step towards the joint venture. The firm’s antitrust advice concerned issues relating to project-based cooperation and transaction-related matters in particular. The public procurement team, meanwhile, focused on the structuring of the joint venture and preparation of the tender from a procedural law perspective, among other things.
According to media reports, the satellite project, known as SATCOMBw 4, has a budget of billions of euros and is intended to provide the German Federal Armed Forces with secure communications, satellite-based data and real-time information.
OHB is one of Europe’s most successful space companies and has significant expertise in developing and manufacturing navigation satellites, including “Galileo”. In this joint project, Rheinmetall will focus on integrating weapons systems with the satellite network. This is the largest procurement project in the German space sector to date. Given its importance and its status as a key technology, awarding the contract to domestic companies is a significant consideration.
Last year, GSK Stockmann successfully represented the group subsidiary OHB System in a case before the European Court of Justice challenging the European General Court’s ruling on the award of the Galileo satellite contract.
For over 20 years, GSK Stockmann has been supporting companies in the aerospace and defence sectors with its distinctive 360-degree approach, covering everything from transactions and procurement to infrastructure projects. As an independent law firm with proven expertise in A&D, GSK Stockmann is one of the most sought-after advisers in the German defence market.
Advisers of OHB SE at GSK Stockmann:
Dr Jenny Mehlitz (co-lead, Public Procurement), Dr Simon Spangler (co-lead, Antitrust), Fabian Schiefner (Public Procurement), Renée Eckruth (Antitrust)
