Kyiv eyes purchase of planned ICEYE, Nokia ‘sovereign’ communication sats
WASHINGTON ― Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a letter of intent with Finnish firms ICEYE and Nokia to explore development of “sovereign” communications satellites as Kyiv seeks greater control over critical comms infrastructure.
“Modern warfare has proven that reliable communications are a matter of national security. We must all rely on capabilities that we can control. The Letter of Intent between the Ministry of Defense, ICEYE, and Nokia is an important step in this direction,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement provided to Breaking Defense today.
“I thank Finland and the Prime Minister of Finland for their consistent support. We value partners who not only help Ukraine, but also work with us to build Europe’s long-term security,” he added.
The agreement was announced Thursday during Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s visit to Kyiv. It comes amid uncertainty over Ukraine’s ability to use SpaceX’s Starshield military satellites for drone operations following a US move last week to throttle back the network’s speed — resulting in an ongoing political blame game over responsibility between President Donald Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
Zelenskyy told ABC News today that, despite assurances from Trump that the slowdown had been reversed, Ukraine’s access speeds remained limited.
ICEYE and Nokia announced their partnership Oct. 1 to “develop secure, sovereign and high-performance broadband low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications systems for governments, supporting missions from defense and border security to emergency services and disaster response,” according to a joint press release.
The companies said government customers would have “ownership and control of the satellites, ground segment and terminals,” with the first satellite planned for liftoff in 2028.
Kyiv’s letter of intent marks the first expression of interest in the joint effort, although it falls short of an actual order.
“The LOI with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine is an expression of intent and does not imply an ordering of any system for Ukraine,” an ICEYE spokesperson told Breaking Defense.
Under the partnership, ICEYE will provide the satellite platform underpinning the joint effort, with the spokesperson explaining that the firm has developed a “flexible platform now being used in satellite communications.”
Nokia will contribute “secure networking technologies” onboard the spacecraft, according to the joint press release.
“Together, the companies will integrate satellites, ground infrastructure and ruggedized end-user terminals to extend ICEYE’s sovereign intelligence from space business model to satellite communications,” the joint press release said.
Based in Helsinki, Nokia provides telecommunications infrastructure, networking capabilities and technologies related to the “internet-of-things.”
ICEYE, headquartered in Espoo, primarily operates synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellites and has been expanding both its sales and satellite production capabilities across Europe. The new partnership with Nokia is the company’s first move into SATCOM capabilities.
ICEYE has also been a vocal supporter of Ukraine during its years-long war with Russia. The company recently faced a security concern in orbit when a highly maneuverable Russian Cosmos bird closely approached one of the company’s spacecraft, raising concerns about potentially dangerous on-orbit maneuvers.