- Ukraine’s Stetman is preparing a 360 satellite network with SpaceX launch support
- New leadership keeps Ukraine’s ambitious satellite project moving
- The billion-euro constellation aims to strengthen Ukraine’s communications independence
Ukrainian company Stetman is currently preparing to launch its own low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, with service scheduled to begin in 2027.
The company recently lost its founder, Dmytro Stetsenko, but the project is still on track after the appointment of a new CEO, Kateryna Diachenko.
According to the company, its planned constellation will orbit at an altitude of approximately 550 kilometers, with a test satellite currently scheduled for launch in October 2026 to validate the underlying technology with SpaceX engineers.
Constellation with Danish and American partners
Full deployment of the constellation is expected to begin in 2027 and take three full years to complete across the entire network.
The completed network will ultimately consist of 360 satellites manufactured by the Danish company GomSpace under an ongoing partnership.
Stetman has chosen SpaceX to handle the launches, citing the company’s lower costs and stronger reliability compared to competitors.
“SpaceX is the best option as they are the cheapest and the most reliable,” Stetsenko had previously told reporters directly.
No formal agreement covering the delivery of the remaining constellation satellites beyond the first test satellite launch has yet been reached.
Ukraine itself would require about 150 satellites, according to Andrii Kolesnyk, a former adviser to the head of Ukraine’s State Space Agency.
Diachenko has already met personally with GomSpace representatives to confirm the continuity of their joint manufacturing plans going forward.
A billion-euro project
The total project cost reportedly exceeds one billion euros, although the financing will proceed in several separate phases, a Stetman representative said.
This budget reportedly covers the satellite constellation itself, software development, launch services, brokerage fees and staff salaries across the company’s entire workforce.
Manufacturing and launching a single satellite reportedly cost between $2 million and $3 million per unit.
A single SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket can carry several dozen satellites into orbit, and each launch typically costs between $60 million and $70 million, depending on the size of the payload.
With a target of 360 satellites, these costs per unit alone make up about $720 million to over $1 billion of the total budget
Stetman is also planning a joint satellite production facility inside Ukraine with GomSpace that is expected to fully open next year if funding comes along.
The factory could require several hundred million euros in investment, although details of funding sources remain undisclosed.
The company currently supplies communications equipment to Ukraine’s military, emergency services, police, medical personnel and government institutions.
The company also produces modified communications terminals, including Starmod systems designed for military conditions and UASAT satellite terminals that operate through existing satellite networks.
These products support Ukraine’s broader efforts to strengthen communications independence during wartime.
Via The Defender
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