Europe is preparing contingency plans in case Starlink is disconnected in Ukraine, initially relying on the temporary Govsatcom solution and later transitioning to IRIS².
The EU has accelerated its efforts and aims to have a backup for Elon Musk’s Starlink ready this year in case of a shutdown. To achieve this, European officials are developing Govsatcom, a temporary satellite communication system expected to reach initial operational capability in 2024, according to Politico.
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However, there is a major limitation: the Govsatcom program does not involve launching dedicated satellites. Instead, it relies on existing European military and commercial satellites.
The problem is that these satellites were likely not originally designed to serve as the backbone of such a system. As a result, their speed and capacity may be significantly lower than that of Starlink satellites, which were built specifically for high-performance global coverage. Nevertheless, even with these limitations, Govsatcom could serve as a viable temporary solution if Starlink becomes unavailable.
A more comprehensive replacement for Starlink is the IRIS² satellite communication system, which aims to establish a new network of significantly more powerful satellites. However, this project also faces challenges: it is not expected to become operational until the 2030s. Given the potential risk of Starlink being disconnected in the near future, this timeline may be too long. Nevertheless, once deployed, IRIS² will likely provide more flexible and secure satellite communications for defense forces during military operations.
It is also worth noting that, beyond Govsatcom and IRIS², several other global satellite communication providers could potentially serve as alternatives to Starlink. Companies such as Eutelsat, Hispasat, SES, and OneWeb offer satellite internet services that could fill the gap if necessary. Additionally, communication and electronic warfare expert Serhii Flash Beskrestnov recently addressed the question of whether Ukraine’s Armed Forces are prepared for a potential Starlink shutdown and how likely it is that Elon Musk would take such action.
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