OHB SE has announced the creation of the European Moonport Company, establishing an innovation hub in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich to consolidate its activities for future lunar missions in Bavaria. The new entity was unveiled on 4 February 2026 in the presence of Bavarian Minister President Dr Markus Söder, as Europe seeks to strengthen its role in humanity’s return to the Moon through dedicated lunar infrastructure.
The Moon is becoming an increasingly strategic objective for spacefaring nations including the United States, China and India, prompting calls for Europe to define and implement its own sustainable lunar strategy. At the ESA Council Meeting at Ministerial Level last November, Germany assumed a leadership role within Europe in shaping that direction.
“The Moon is the next major step for Europe’s spaceflight efforts. Initiatives like the European Moonport Company show how industrial strength, regional expertise, and a clear European vision can come together,” said Josef Aschbacher, Director General of European Space Agency. “For ESA, it is essential that Europe develops the capabilities to be permanently, sustainably, and independently present on the Moon – as a reliable and active partner in an international lunar architecture.”
Minister President Dr Markus Söder said: “We are space minded! This is another step for Bavaria as a Space Valley for Germany and all of Europe. The aerospace sector is booming: In the Free State, we are creating a unique ecosystem for many new jobs, now generating 12 billion euros in revenue and employing 38,000 people. From Bavaria, we are playing a strong passing game with the federal government and ESA. As a federal state, Bavaria will invest over one billion euros in aerospace alone by 2030—from universities and research, to start up support, all the way to simplified settlement opportunities for defense and space companies. While others are cutting back, we are investing an extra one billion euros in research and science through our Hightech Agenda Bavaria. And it’s working: Bavaria has now become the number one start up region, and TUM and LMU are the two best universities in the EU.”
OHB said the establishment of infrastructure on the Moon would lay the foundation for a future economic sphere, requiring independent access as well as technologies such as launch and landing pads, energy, oxygen and propellant supply systems, and navigation and communication capabilities. Together with Munich Airport International, the company has developed an initial concept for a central launch and landing facility on the lunar surface, positioning a Moonport as a logistics hub for cargo and crewed spacecraft and a key enabler of a future lunar economic ecosystem.
“With the founding of the European Moonport Company, we are supporting Europe’s ambition to establish a long-term presence on the Moon under its own power and to create the foundation for future scientific missions and economic activities,” said Marco Fuchs, Chief Executive of OHB SE. “For us as a company, the Moon has always been a fascinating destination. This long-standing enthusiasm is now becoming tangible: We aim not only to accompany Europe’s journey to the Moon, but to actively help shape it.”
OHB, which has decades of experience in space exploration studies and projects and maintains a broad network of industrial and academic partners, said it is well positioned to help shape a permanent European infrastructure on the lunar surface.