Many MindedUkraine tests its own small comms satellite after Starlink scare
Ukrainian defense startup Himera and Denmark's GomSpace are operating an experimental communications satellite, Obria Nano, in orbit. It launched Oct. 1 on SpaceX's Transporter-18 rideshare mission, and the companies announced the testing on Oct. 27, 2026. Results are meant to shape the design of a constellation covering Ukraine.
Himera, founded in 2022, builds secure tactical radios for military users, including units meant for electronic-warfare conditions. GomSpace, based in Aalborg, makes small satellites, communications payloads and subsystems. The long-term plan is to manufacture both satellites and ground terminals inside Ukraine. Himera's co-founder and CEO, Misha Rudominski, said the aim is to reduce dependence on external communications providers.
The timing matters. Ukraine has leaned heavily on SpaceX services for battlefield communications since Russia's 2022 invasion. In mid-October, restrictions on Starlink and Starshield limited connectivity and hampered drone operations, including intercepting Russian attack drones. Ukraine said on Oct. 24 that speeds were back to normal, but Elon Musk and U.S. officials gave conflicting accounts of who authorized the limits. Days earlier, Finland's Iceye and Nokia signed a letter of intent with Ukraine's Defense Ministry to explore a sovereign broadband satellite network.
For connection, the point is that a basic service, reliable communications, should not hinge on one foreign provider's decisions. Domestic production of satellites and terminals would, if it happens, make that resilience something Ukraine owns rather than rents.
The caveats are large. The companies have not disclosed Obria Nano's specifications, capacity, financing or how many satellites are planned. The constellation is only at the design stage, and neither European effort is expected to replace Starlink's global network.
Source: SpaceNews