Non-EU countries, including Ukraine, can join Europe's new satellite network rivaling Starlink, commissioner says
Ukraine and other non-EU countries in Europe are welcome to begin negotiations to join the bloc's new IRIS-2 secure satellite communication program, European Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told Euractiv in an interview published July 28.
The new program is largely seen as an alternative to U.S. billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications, which have faced scrutiny amid concerns that the service could be unexpectedly cut.
On July 25, Reuters reported Musk ordered the deactivation of Starlink satellite coverage over part of Ukraine's Kherson Oblast during a major counteroffensive in the fall of 2022.
When asked if non-EU countries could join the 10.6 billion euro ($12.3 billion) initiative, Kubilius replied, "I would not be opposed."
The IRIS-2 satellite program is expected to go online in the next decade and will consist of approximately 280 satellites.
Iceland has concluded negotiations to join the program, and Norway is currently in talks with the EU to join the IRIS-2 program. Both countries are part of the European Economic Area (EEA), but neither is an EU member state.
Kunilius noted that both Ukraine and the U.K. would be a good fit for the program.
Ukraine has great potential as a former space hub in the Soviet Union, and the U.K. has a strong aerospace track record, he said.
European countries have already sought alternatives to Starlink for themselves and Ukraine, including satellite services provided by Eutelsat.
Denmark will provide Ukraine's military with European-made satellite communication services as Kyiv continues to fend off Russia's war, the Danish Defense Ministry announced on July 14.
The Danish military aid will provide Ukraine with receiver terminals, providing access to satellite-based communications amid Russia's war, the announcement said.
"Denmark has now contributed to strengthening Ukraine's satellite-based communications in their defense against Russia. There is a very large potential in space-based solutions that can contribute to both Ukrainian, Danish, and European defense," Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.
