He who attacks them paralyzes entire states, he says in his speech at a space congress organized by the industry association BDI.
He points out Russia and China as the two biggest threats today and notes that both countries can wage war in space by, among other things, destroying satellites, reports German media.
But he also says that the country must be able to defend itself without help even in space. To allocate the equivalent of just over 380 billion kronor until the year 2030 is therefore "the only way we can maintain control over our systems and react quickly in an emergency".
Germany has, according to Tagesschau today, 80 satellites of its own, to compare with China's 900 and the USA's over 10,000.
Just during Pistorius' speech on Thursday, 39 Russian and Chinese spy satellites passed over Berlin, according to the public service company.
