SPYING FROM SPACE: Germany ploughs MILLIONS into espionage system to collect foreign intel

The Bundestag gave the green-light to funding the £353million (€400million) espionage satellite system, named George, and construction is already underway. 

It is believed George could be launched into space by as early as 2020 – the first time a German intelligence service has launched its own space hardware.

Germany lags behind its foreign allies, including Russia, China and the US, who already take images from space. 

The satellite programme will be used by Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), “to provide quick and autonomous information to be able to make independent and up-to-date assessments of the situation,” according to Die Welt. 

They said it is “no longer enough” to use images purchase on the commercial market or requested from the country’s international partners. 

And Angela Merkel is said to be fully behind the spying system. 

The document said increasing tensions around the world could impact Germany and “political leadership expects immediately available and valid information”. 

The German Chancellor argued the BND “needs to be able to gather information quickly and autonomously in order to be able to offer the most independent and up-to-date situation assessments possible”. 

BND President Bruno Kahl said that German intelligence agencies need to be on the cutting edge of technology, “otherwise the digital revolution will only benefit those we should be protecting our country from”. 

But the multi-million pound move isn’t popular with everyone, with opposition parties questioning whether the intelligence service requires a satellite system,

Left Party intelligence expert André Hahn told local media: ”I’ve yet to hear any convincing reason why the BND needs its own satellites. 

“The Bundeswehr already has a system like this, which could perhaps be optimised.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised, if in the end it cost twice as much.”