Danish small satellite manufacturer GomSpace and Ukrainian defence technology firm STETMAN have signed a landmark agreement to establish UASAT, a joint venture aimed at delivering sovereign LEO satellite communications for Ukraine. Senior representatives from the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, and the Ukrainian government formalised the deal at the EU-Ukraine Business Summit in Brussels.
The partnership will combine STETMAN’s frontline operational experience with GomSpace’s established space technology expertise. GomSpace, headquartered in Aalborg, Denmark, provides reliable small-satellite and integrated systems for defence and civil applications. GomSpace has developed a dedicated National & Defence Solutions Business Unit to facilitate sovereign space capabilities for national authorities. UASAT expects to launch its first satellite in autumn 2026. Further milestones will follow as the programme matures.
Militarnyi reports that, initially, ready-made satellites manufactured in Denmark will be purchased and then sent to launch sites. A later stage will involve assembly in Ukraine, with plans to eventually localise production, except for chip manufacturing. Ukrainian UASAT-NANO. The communications satellite constellation is expected to comprise 300 satellites when fully implemented.
Satellite sovereignty addresses geopolitical dependency
For Ukraine, reliable satellite communications are now an operational necessity. Modern conflict begins in the electromagnetic spectrum, long before anything moves on the ground — and nations that cannot sense, track and understand activity across their borders risk strategic surprise and delayed decisions. Ukraine has experienced this reality acutely, relying heavily on commercial and allied satellite services that are beyond its direct control.
That dependency is precisely what UASAT seeks to address. Satellite sovereignty — the ability to own, operate and secure one’s own orbital assets — means a country retains command of its communications and intelligence infrastructure even when geopolitical relationships shift. Space-based systems that are sovereign, resilient, encrypted and rapidly deployable can integrate directly into national defence and intelligence workflows, rather than depending on the goodwill of foreign providers.
The lesson also resonates across Europe. As the continent rethinks its strategic autonomy, the question of how long any nation can afford to outsource its eyes and ears in orbit is becoming impossible to ignore. UASAT represents a concrete answer — and a model others may follow.