Iceye and Nokia sign letter of intent with Ukraine on satcom capability

Iceye and Nokia have signed a letter of intent with Ukraine's Ministry of Defence to develop a satcom capability for the country. The companies announced it on Thursday, 22 October 2026.

Earlier in October, the companies announced a partnership to develop a sovereign satellite communications system that would give nations ownership and control of the satellites, ground segment and terminals. Iceye is known as a synthetic aperture radar provider, and the move marks its entry into satcom.

"Ukraine needs secure, sovereign and high-performance satellite communications systems that it controls," Iceye CEO Rafal Modrzewski said in a statement. He said Iceye has supported Ukraine since 2022.

The announcement gave few details. The partners said the capability will be built on trusted European technology. Ukraine has separately reported that its access to SpaceX's Starshield variant of Starlink was slowed on moving platforms, affecting its ability to guide drones and defend against Russian jets.

Sourcesatellitetoday.com