Ukraine depends on Starlink - can Europe plug the gap?
Ukraine's heavy reliance on Elon Musk's Starlink for military and civilian communications highlights a critical vulnerability in the country's defense infrastructure. While Europe is developing the Iris² satellite network to reduce this dependency, the project will not be operational until 2029, leaving Ukraine with few immediate alternatives.
Why it matters
The situation underscores the geopolitical risks of relying on private corporations for essential military infrastructure and the urgent need for sovereign satellite capabilities in Europe.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, A man offers residents in Kherson, Ukraine, the use of his Starlink internet after a Russian strike
Ukraine is in desperate need of a new satellite internet service, but a fast and reliable alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink network simply doesn't exist - yet.
Last week's sudden slowdown of the service in Ukraine, which affected Kyiv's ability to defend itself from Russian attacks, has shown how vulnerable the country can be, and sharply increased Europe's urgency to have its own military-grade satellite network.
There are a few alternatives, but they are all lagging behind Starlink, which is the world's largest satellite constellation.
France's Eutelsat, with its OneWeb internet service, is the main alternative - but it only has about 600 active satellites, compared to Starlink's 10,000-plus.
Headlinne story · 8 newsrooms
SpaceX Restores Ukraine Starlink Connection After Elon Musk Restricts Satellite Speeds
What every outlet reported, where they differ, and how each framed it →
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27 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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