Ukraine tests its own Starlink in orbit in a bid to reduce US dependence

Ukrainian startup Himera and Danish satellite manufacturer GomSpace have begun testing Obria Nano, a communications satellite launched into orbit on 1 October as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission. It is set to serve just as the first step towards the construction of the Obria constellation, planned by both companies to provide satellite connectivity over Ukrainian territory, for Ukraine’s needs and under its control.

The primary role of this demonstrator satellite is to conduct technical tests, which will inform the development of the final system. The next significant step will be to localise the production of satellites and ground communications terminals in Ukraine, helping to develop domestic expertise in satellite communications and expand the country’s manufacturing capabilities.

Himera is a Ukrainian startup founded in 2022, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, specialising in the production of secure tactical communications systems, particularly jam-resistant radios widely used by the Ukrainian military. It has joined forces with GomSpace, a Danish space company founded in 2007, which specialises in designing and manufacturing small satellites, primarily nanosatellites and microsatellites.

„For us, this project is about much more than simply launching a satellite into orbit. It is an opportunity to lay the foundations for an independent satellite communications network for Ukraine. We are starting by testing technologies in orbit, but our long-term goal is to develop capabilities that will strengthen the country’s strategic security and reduce its dependence on external communications providers,” said Misha Rudominski, co-founder and CEO of Himera.

This is not the only Ukrainian project to build an independent satellite communications constellation involving GomSpace. Back in April this year, the Danish company signed an agreement with another Ukrainian company, STETMAN, to develop the UASAT constellation, which is ultimately expected to comprise several hundred satellites. Moreover, its first demonstrator satellite, UASAT-NANO, was also scheduled to be launched by SpaceX in October this year.

However, it remains unclear to what extent the two projects are connected, or even whether Obria Nano and UASAT-NANO are, in fact, the same satellite. The confusion stems from the fact that GomSpace and Himera announced the launch of Obria Nano, while the name UASAT-NANO appears in public orbital object catalogues, potentially pointing to a connection with the other project.

Efforts to reduce Ukraine’s dependence on Starlink and its military counterpart, Starshield, have gained significant momentum following the widely reported, deliberate restrictions imposed on their services in mid-October. Although connectivity reportedly returned to normal in recent days, the American „kill switch” over key Ukrainian military capabilities is becoming an increasingly serious concern for Kyiv, which views it as an instrument of pressure and control by Washington.

These initiatives are only two of several aimed at providing Ukraine with alternatives. In the shorter term, Ukraine’s potential participation in the EU’s satellite communications capacity-sharing programme, EU GOVSATCOM, is being considered. In the longer term, ICEYE and Nokia have signed a letter of intent with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence to explore the development of a sovereign satellite network providing broadband internet access.

Taken together, all these strategic projects, alongside the EU’s planned IRIS² constellation, offer the prospect of gradually reducing Ukraine’s dependence on American satellite communications systems over the coming years. However, there is little prospect of replacing them on a comparable scale in the foreseeable future. Rather, the priority is to ensure the continuity of critical military and government operations should access to these services be restricted or lost again.