{"id":1272454,"date":"2025-07-28T11:46:24","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T08:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/ukraine-may-join-the-european-unions-multi-billion-dollar-satellite-system-what-is-known\/"},"modified":"2025-07-28T11:46:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T08:46:24","slug":"ukraine-may-join-the-european-unions-multi-billion-dollar-satellite-system-what-is-known","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prm.ua\/en\/ukraine-may-join-the-european-unions-multi-billion-dollar-satellite-system-what-is-known\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine may join the European Union’s multi-billion-dollar satellite system: what is known"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ukraine is preparing to join the new European space program IRIS\u00b2, which will be a safe alternative to Starlink. This is a multi-billion EU initiative to create an independent satellite network. Along with Ukraine, possible participants in IRIS\u00b2 include the United Kingdom and Norway, which has already started negotiations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is reported by Euractiv<\/a> .<\/p>\n

It is noted that Ukraine has been given the opportunity to join the European Union’s new strategic space program – IRIS\u00b2, which involves the creation of a secure satellite network independent of private providers such as Elon Musk’s Starlink. This was announced by EU Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius in an interview with Euractiv<\/em> .<\/p>\n

The IRIS\u00b2 project<\/strong> is estimated at \u20ac10.6 billion. It is planned to launch around 280 satellites by the 2030s, creating a secure telecommunications system for the EU and its partners. It aims to reduce Europe’s dependence on private initiatives, in particular Starlink, which currently dominates the satellite communications market.<\/p>\n

Although official negotiations between Ukraine and the European Commission have not yet begun, the initiative is already being actively discussed. Kubilius noted that Ukraine has “significant potential” in the space sector, as it has remained a key center of the rocket and space industry since Soviet times.<\/p>\n

During the full-scale war against Russia, Ukraine widely used Starlink technologies to provide communications on the front. However, the issue of technological independence and cybersecurity has become especially relevant against the backdrop of instability in the operation of the commercial network and geopolitical risks.<\/p>\n

Norway is one of the non-EU countries that has already officially started negotiations with Brussels about participating in IRIS\u00b2. Iceland, which is also part of the European Economic Area, has already completed its negotiations. The UK, like Ukraine, has not yet initiated official steps, but, according to Kubilius, has significant experience in the space sector, which makes it a potential participant in the program.<\/p>\n

In parallel, the EU is discussing the so-called “Space Law”, which could establish a new framework for access to the European market for foreign satellite companies. Its adoption is expected in a few years, but the document has already sparked lively discussions among government officials and industry.<\/p>\n

Ukraine’s participation in the EU IRIS\u00b2 space program will have strategic, technological, and security<\/strong> implications. Here are the main implications and benefits.<\/p>\n

Strengthening national security and telecommunications independence:<\/strong><\/p>\n