Why Europe cannot yet replace Starlink for Ukraine

Ukraine turned to SpaceX terminals after the war damaged its cable-based internet infrastructure. Small and practical, the terminals let troops connect from the battlefield through Starlink, a commercial service based on around 10,000 low-orbit satellites. Starshield, a more secure version for governments and militaries, uses dedicated satellites and encryption; Washington makes it available to Ukraine.

That reliance has brought unease. A few weeks ago, Ukraine found that the speed of its drones had been throttled overnight. The explanation was an American move, according to the podcast transcript. The issue was later resolved, but the incident highlighted how access depends on both SpaceX owner Elon Musk and the US government.

Europe’s current systems are poorly suited to front-line use. Most European satellites operate in higher orbits, where signals take longer to travel and receiving equipment is bulkier. The closest European equivalent is OneWeb, operated by Eutelsat, which has around 680 satellites in low and high orbit. Eutelsat says it could replace Starlink in the medium term, in the 2030s, and plans to add several hundred satellites. Most, however, will replace older ones rather than substantially expand the fleet.

The EU-backed IRIS² project, involving several companies including Eutelsat, aims to build a constellation of at least 348 satellites by 2030, with deployment due to start in 2029. It is not a commercial venture. Both IRIS² and OneWeb are intended to reduce dependence on Starlink, but their planned numbers remain far below its scale.

Cost and launch capacity are part of the gap. The United States spends around six times more than Europe on civil and military space programmes. SpaceX can also launch its satellites using its own Falcon 9 rocket, while Eutelsat buys launches from third parties, making them more expensive and limiting its control over deployment pace. China is another space actor to watch, though the podcast says it is not yet spending huge amounts in the sector.