US allies are accelerating plans to reduce reliance on SpaceX’s Starlink after
Elon Musk abruptly limited Ukrainian access, stoking concern that a built‑in
“kill switch” gives Musk unilateral power to disable a critical communications
network. Poland, which helped fund Ukrainian use, publicly rebuked Musk after
reported Starlink disruptions. Ukraine will join a satellite communications
network run by Finland’s Iceye and Nokia as part of a €300m aid package
announced Thursday. Canada’s Telesat has pitched its Lightspeed LEO
constellation as a more sovereign alternative. The EU has contracted Eutelsat
and two partners to build IRIS², a 348‑satellite sovereign network costing about
$17.5bn, with first launches slated for 2029.
