Rocket Lab to acquire laser communication company Mynaric

US space company Rocket Lab is allowed to buy the German company Mynaric. The German authorities have approved the acquisition of the manufacturer of laser communication systems.

The transaction was reviewed and approved by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Rocket Lab announced. The company expects the acquisition to be completed in April.

“Laser communication is a critical factor for satellite constellations today and tomorrow,” said Peter Beck, CEO and founder of Rocket Lab. With the acquisition of Mynaric, the company has “come an exciting step closer to expanding our capabilities to support the German and European space industry on a much larger scale.”

The acquisition was thoroughly and extensively reviewed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The ministry only approved it with conditions, as reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung: “The conditions guarantee that Mynaric's intellectual property, production, as well as research and development of key technologies and products will remain in Germany and Europe.”

No Mynaric products for China

This also includes ensuring that German and European customers from the defense sector gain access to Mynaric's products. The German government prohibited the sale of Mynaric products to China several years ago.

Mynaric, based in Munich, is a spin-off from the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It markets a technology for laser communication developed by the DLR's Institute for Communication and Navigation. This technology enables significantly higher data transmission rates than radio and is primarily intended for communication between satellites.

Due to delays in the series production of the Condor Mk3 communication terminal, Mynaric faced financial difficulties, leading to its delisting from the stock exchange. Rocket Lab, already a customer of Mynaric, submitted a purchase offer in March of last year.

In accordance with the federal government's conditions, the company headquarters will remain in Munich, which, according to Rocket Lab, establishes its first presence in Europe. This is an opportunity for the space company to expand into Europe. Rocket Lab, founded in New Zealand, builds the reusable Electron rocket, which launches small satellites into orbit, as well as components for satellites. In addition to the small Electron rocket, Rocket Lab is developing the larger Neutron, which is designed to carry up to 13 tons of payload into low Earth orbit.

(wpl)