Ukraine, Russia race to build military satellite networks as war rages on

Kyiv, Ukraine – Looking like a tiny desktop tower with wing-like solar panels, the Obria Nano satellite is a small step that could herald a giant leap for Ukraine’s military.

Launched by Himera, a Ukrainian company known for ergonomic military radios, and GomSpace, a Danish small-satellite manufacturer, the first Obria Nano could eventually grow into Kyiv’s own constellation of military satellites, its creators hope.

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The nanosatellite marks Ukraine’s “first historical step toward establishing resilient and sovereign satellite communications capabilities,” the company said on October 27, almost four weeks after the Obria Nano had reached orbit.

In mid-October, Kyiv also signed up two Finnish companies, the Nokia telecoms giant and the ICEYE space startup that owns a “self-illuminating” radar technology for obtaining high-resolution satellite imagery in any weather, to look into developing a network of military satellites.

Kyiv’s efforts are rooted in one concern – the nearly total dependence of Ukraine’s military communications on SpaceX, Elon Musk’s satellite communications giant that operates Starlink, a constellation of more than 10,000 low-orbit satellites.

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