How a “New Front Line” Is Changing Denmark’s Space Industry

The current geopolitical environment is changing the Danish space industry significantly. To see this change spelled out, one needs only look at the company formerly known as “Danish Aerospace Company A/S”, which in April changed its name to Danish Aerospace and Defence Company A/S¹.

Wars and increasingly tense relations between the world’s great powers have spurred demand for national defense and security solutions, both on Earth and in space. That demand has caused many Danish space companies to pivot towards the defense sector. GomSpace CEO Carsten Drachmann delivered a line during the company’s Q1 presentation² that applies well to much of the Danish space industry.

“Space is a new defence front line. There’s absolutely no doubt about it. This is a change that has come over the last couple of years. It is really driving our business and setting the foundation also for how we’re thinking and how we are structuring ourselves,” he said.

Below, I provide an overview of how growing global defense needs are changing Danish space companies.

GomSpace

What is GomSpace?

GomSpace was founded in 2007 with global headquarters in Aalborg. The company is a leading provider of nanosatellite and CubeSat solutions, including hardware, software, and complete systems for commercial, scientific, and defence-related missions. GomSpace is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and serves customers in more than 50 countries.

In January, GomSpace introduced its new 4+1 business unit structure³, which includes a business unit dedicated to “National & Defense Solutions”. With this, GomSpace expects to benefit from the tailwinds from the increase in defense spending globally⁴. Most recently, GomSpace entered into an agreement with the Ukrainian technology company STETMAN to establish a joint venture in Ukraine aimed at developing a sovereign dual-use satellite communications constellation of around 300 satellites⁵.

“This development reflects a broader structural trend, where nations increasingly prioritize sovereign space capabilities. We expect this demand to grow and see the model as replicable across multiple countries,” CEO Carsten Drachmann said during the 2026 Q1 presentation.

During the presentation, Drachmann also underscored the need for GomSpace to scale up in order to meet anticipated demand. In March, the company executed the final drawdown of an EUR 18 million credit facility established with the company’s main shareholder, Peter Hargreaves, raising proceeds of EUR 7 million⁶. Among other things, GomSpace intends to use the proceeds to scale up its national and defense solutions business. For the rest of 2026, the company expects to have negative free cash flow due to its efforts in scaling up.

Danish Aerospace and Defence Company

What is Danish Aerospace and Defence Company?

Danish Aerospace and Defence Company (DADC) was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Odense. The company develops advanced medical instrumentation and engineering solutions primarily for space applications, including training equipment, respiratory monitoring, and health systems for astronauts. Their products have been used on Space Shuttle missions, the International Space Station (ISS), and other manned programmes. DADC also applies its technologies to extreme environments on Earth.

As noted earlier, Danish Aerospace and Defence Company (DADC) got it its new name in April at the company’s annual general meeting. The name-change comes as a result of the company’s “strategic focus on development of equipment for defence and security activities”⁷. Along with that, the company’s shareholders also elected two new members to the Board of Directors who both have an extensive background in the defense domain⁸.

CEO Thomas A.E. Andersen underscored the importance of the defense sector, when DADC in April raised 24.7 DKK million via a fully guaranteed rights issue⁹.

“The capital raise provides a great opportunity to invest in the defence sector. When we deliver components, many of them are already MIL-components [MIL-SPEC components], meaning components that have been developed for the military. Many of the tests that need to be carried out on the equipment [for use in space] are similar to those required when the equipment is to be used in extreme environments, whether that is the desert or the Arctic,” Andersen remarked during a presentation of the company’s annual report in April¹⁰. He also pointed out that DADC is one of just 10 Danish companies that hold an AS9100 certification, which is critical when engaging established defense contractors.

What are MIL-SPEC Components and AS9100 certifications?

MIL-SPEC Components are electronic, mechanical, or material parts that meet strict military specifications established by the U.S. Department of Defense. These components are designed and tested for exceptional reliability, durability, and performance in harsh environments, including extreme temperatures, vibration, shock, and humidity. They are widely used in defence, aerospace, and space applications where failure is not an option.

AS9100 is the international quality management system standard specifically for the aviation, space, and defence industries. It builds upon ISO 9001 with additional rigorous requirements focused on risk management, product safety, counterfeit part prevention, and configuration control. Certification to AS9100 demonstrates that a company maintains consistently high standards in design, development, production, and supply chain processes for aerospace-related products. Many major aerospace and defence customers require AS9100 certification as a prerequisite for doing business.

In DADC’s annual report for 2025, the company noted increasing interest in its space technologies from national and European defense applications. This led DADC to enter a strategic partnership with NECAS A/S, one of Denmark’s most experienced electronics manufacturers, to develop and produce technological solutions applicable across military, space, and extreme-environment domains¹¹.

The company particularly sees a large potential in the defense market for the wearable sensors it develops for astronauts onboard the International Space Station. The sensors could prove valuable during fighter pilot training to monitor under which circumstances they lose the ability to concentrate, for example during high g maneuvers.

The company’s astronaut exercise equipment could equally find buyers in the defence sector, for instance onboard submarines or on bases in the Arctic, where access to regular forms of exercise is not readily available.

Most recently, DADC signed a DKK 5.8 million contract with ESA to develop a Motion Capture system for DADC’s E4D exercise equipment. The company wrote that it “envisions additional dual-use applications of this technology including specialized recovery training for injured military personnel.”¹²

Rovsing

What is Rovsing?

Rovsing A/S was founded in 1992 and is based in Glostrup near Copenhagen. The company specialises in test and simulation systems (EGSE), software solutions, and engineering services for satellites and defence projects. Rovsing supplies the European and US space industry, including support for ESA projects. It is a niche provider focused on reliable test equipment and on-site engineering support.

In September 2025, Rovsing initiated a selective “Buy-and-Build” strategy, with the goal of extending into the defense market by acquiring complementary companies in the space and defense sector. The company aims to expand internationally and capitalize on growing space and defense markets in the U.S., Middle East and APAC¹³.

During a presentation in May of Rovsing’s Q3 results for the financial year 2025/2026, company representatives expressed confidence that Rovsing stands to benefit from the recent increases in ESA’s and EU’s space budgets.

“What we can see is continued high tender activity. It has been increasing for many months now. We currently have outstanding proposals worth approximately 140 million DKK, which is a relatively high amount. This is of course a consequence of the new ESA budgets gradually being rolled out, and some of the missions we have bid on are a result of the new budgets that ESA has allocated,” CFO Sigurd Hundrup said in the presentation¹⁴.

Though ESA is a civil space agency, the recent 30 per cent increase in the space agency’s budget was in large part motivated by a recognition that Europe needs more security and defense capabilities in space.

Hundrup emphasised Denmark’s increased investments in ESA, noting that the agency’s geo-return policy means those investments will eventually benefit Danish contractors. He also pointed out that the EU equally has increased its investments in space, notably with the planned dual-use IRIS² constellation, which Rovsing has bid on.

The increased European tender activity combined with Rovsing’s financial challenges has prompted the company to initiate a fully guaranteed rights issue intended to raise 10 million DKK. In Rovsing’s announcement of the fully guaranteed rights issue, it says that the proceeds will be used to strengthen the company’s capital structure and financial flexibility.

“A strong capital structure is a prerequisite for winning contracts with large customers and space agencies, who require key suppliers to be financially robust for the duration of space missions,” it continues¹⁵.

Other developments

• In an article by Calibre Defence, Quadsat Chief Commercial Officer Klaus Aude said that the company has transitioned from commercial satcom into the defense domain. Before 2022, he said, Quadsat was 90 percent a satcom company and 10 per cent defence. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Quadsat’s offering of its SpectraLoc payload to the Ukrainian forces, the balance has now essentially reversed¹⁶.
• In April, Terma A/S appointed Mats Warstedt as new Senior Vice President of the company’s Space Division. The appointment was, among other things, framed as a response to the “growing convergence between civil and defense applications in the space market”.¹⁷

What are Quadsat and Terma A/S?

Quadsat was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Odense. The company develops drone-based solutions for high-precision calibration and testing of satellite antennas. Its technology is used by commercial satellite communication networks and defence applications for verifying antenna performance.

Terma was founded in 1949 and has its headquarters in the Aarhus area of Denmark. The company is a global supplier of mission-critical systems for defence, aerospace, and space, including electronics, software, and sensors. Terma has participated in more than 75 space missions since 1972, including the first Danish satellite Ørsted. It is one of the oldest and largest Danish players in the space sector.

Sources

1. https://www.danishaerospace.com/en/investor-relations/announcements?publicationId=162436a1-41ef-4f60-bb53-109b960ee1f9 ↩︎
2. https://www.inderes.dk/videos/gomspace-presentation-of-q1-2026-trading-statement ↩︎
3. https://gomspace.com/gomspace-strengthens-business-unit-structure-and-executive-team-for-2026/ ↩︎
4. https://gomspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Q4_Full-Year_Financial-Report_2025.pdf ↩︎
5. https://spacedenmark.dk/gomspace-enters-joint-venture-in-ukraine-to-develop-sovereign-satellite-communications ↩︎
6. https://gomspace.com/gomspace-draws-eur-7-million-under-shareholder-credit-facility-to-support-strate/ ↩︎
7. https://storage.googleapis.com/inderes-widgets-prod-assets/danishaerospacecompany/attachments/44962663-0af9-4de8-bd1d-70dd663762aa/dac-agm-2026-notice-of-annual-general-meeting-2026.pdf ↩︎
8. https://danishspacenews.substack.com/i/193214332/danish-aerospace-company-to-change-name-raises-247-million-dkk ↩︎
9. https://www.danishaerospace.com/en/investor-relations/announcements?publicationId=44df6210-6e5d-4e28-b443-014b8788cd8d ↩︎
10. https://www.inderes.dk/videos/danish-aerospace-company-praesentation-af-arsregnskab-2025 ↩︎
11. https://www.danishaerospace.com/en/investor-relations/announcements?publicationId=c8520368-3fdc-4c5b-80f1-5203ead62b81 ↩︎
12. https://www.danishaerospace.com/en/investor-relations/announcements?publicationId=17672dcf-a606-4121-85cb-43fe086e46bf ↩︎
13. https://rovsing.dk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Announcement386_Annual_Report_2024-25.pdf ↩︎
14. https://www.inderes.dk/videos/rovsing-praesentation-af-interim-management-statement-for-q3-202526-samt-qanda ↩︎
15. https://rovsing.dk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Announcement400_Inside-information.pdf ↩︎
16. https://www.calibredefence.co.uk/spectraloc-inside-the-danish-elint-capability-that-helps-ukraine/ ↩︎
17. https://www.terma.com/news-events/news/latest-news/terma-strengthens-space-division-leadership-with-appointment-of-new-senior-vice-president ↩︎