“The whole front would collapse if I closed it”He recently mentioned through the “X” for the Starlink satellite information system the richest man in the world, US President Donald Trump’s adviser. OR dominant position network Starlink of Pillar On the front of the war in Ukraine and the latest public statements about a possible disabled this satellite communications system have highlighted Europe’s weaknesses in the field of satellite communications.

Despite the need for a European solution to compete with the US system, the European Union has not yet proceeded with work to develop a similar network.

“The EU since the Starlink network appeared had not done anything to create a European solution that could compete with the US network either with low -track satellites or with geostatic satellites (GEO) that typically stand at 36,000 kilometers from the surface of the earth -“He was speaking on RES RES, “Agency 104.9fm” and the special broadcast on military, defense, aerospace technology “Special Missions” by K.Christodoulos; Managing Director of Hellas Sat.

“All previous years the various satellite organizations that were either inter-European such as Eutelsat, or state-owners, had been privatized so they operated on purely private criteria and mainly in profit. In recent years, Ilon Mask with Starlink technology has begun to conquer large areas with new services. Low -track satellites, of course, must be replaced every five years and so it is not easy to have a positive business plan. But Ilon Mask has his own satellite manufacturing factory as well as the launchers. So he has vertically integrated production, he manages not to lose money without the profitable venture. This system is used in Ukraine and is used in Europe, although there are countries that are very hesitant such as in South Africa where there has recently been a ban on the sly mask to sell the system of the system, which has done both countries such as Saudi Arabia and others in the Middle East. “ Mr. Protopapas explained.

OR Europe With the democratic authorities that have opened its horizons and so Ilon Musk began to sell to the EU but also to Ukraine These services, however, but this service is a personal one, that is, it is based on the goodwill of a person, said Hellas Sat’s chief executive who stressed for this private US system that this is not a way of operation based on an intergovernmental organization that has certain principles and operates in a specific way.

Europe woke up

“The Mask today is” working “in favor of the European space market … With the taskstone and the situation there is a discomfort throughout Europe as the Union cannot depend on a person and a policy. For this reason, Europe should start investing in its own technologies that will be either gestational satellites, medium -track satellites, or with low -track satellites. But the EU should be determined that the money it invests will continue to invest. Investing them, of course, in a way that is not as it used to be with the Galileo system found to grow in a sea of ​​delays and in an anarchic environment. “ Mr. Protopapas explained, who talked about investments that will be made for space and should be done in a rational way.

“It is no coincidence that in the new EU period, along with Defense, they have gone under a commissioner, the Andrew button. Now it seems that Rota in the EU is changing on some issues, so Germany and Poland and other countries large in population began to have their own satellite or satellite communications that countries themselves can somehow control. Fortunately there is still space technology in Europe in these areas, and both Hellas Sat and the Another three satellite organizations left in Europe can help in this area. “ Add the executive with 25 years of experience in the field.

What is there today?

‘In Europe now there was the One Web of Eutelsat After the merger, the one web is an English company and generally the constructions are made in the United Kingdom. This should be transferred to a one -web construction work to France of Eutelsat now. Eutelsat has recently made some moves that have been an injection of liquidity, while on the One Web there are many things to improve such as the cost of the terminal, issues related to the replacement of satellites, and so on, issues for which the EU must know that it should know that it should know that it should be in One Web satellites will be replaced as they are on a low orbit. In this orbit the satellites have a life of about 5 to 6 years As they then switch lower and destroyed. In world level Such satellite communications systems began to be manufactured in both Canada and the US where in addition to Starlink and Amazon She is preparing a of her own constellation of satellites‘ Mr. Protopapas explained.

As an option in the EU and the European building there is the Construction of mid -track satellites -Medium Earth orbit (meo), Satellites between 2,000 to 36,000 kilometers from the surface of the Earth- such as the Luxembourg-based SES European system. It is about constellation of meo satellites by name “O3b mpower”. “It is a technology that by its very nature needs a smaller number of satellites for uninterrupted operation and had begun before the One Web and had no particular commercial success for a variety of reasons. So Europeans and the EU should keep in mind that they will be the basic customer, but will also be the financier of such a satellite communications ecosystem. “Mr. Protopapas noted.

Money and direct time

“A brave funding is required of a European venture like year. Time to build satellites, get up, coordinate, set who will be funded for it, how to get the money, how the consorts will be created. Such a plan for Iris² Satellite Constellation has been created, but it is a consortium created by the previous view of events and does not take into account the latest events in terms of satellite telecommunications. At the same time, Europe should also use satellites in a geostatic trajectory that continue to provide significant services and in terms of their strategic importance in many cases more important than the Elon Mask system. Gestational satellites are controlled by European territory and countries can control the operation of such satellite telecommunications and will feel safer while the specific satellites have a shelf life of about 15 to 20 years which is given uninterrupted communication. It is an investment of about 250 million euros that will be depreciated eg from the EU at a rate of about 20 million a year, and a low -track satellite constellation to provide uninterrupted service is required to consist of hundreds of satellites that are at the same time orbit and should be replaced. These are issues that those in charge should be taken into account when they plan their system, ” Mr. Protopapas noted.

For who will design such a new telecommunications system, In addition to ESA there is EUSPAthe EU service for Prague -based space: “For the design, Euspa could play an important role, as well as Commissioner ‘Andrew button. They would probably need a large group of technicians to make the technical specifications since to date, even Iris² has not exactly defined technical specifications eg for the communication of satellites, how they are coordinated, which will be control centers, what each country will get, etc. All of this must be resolved too quickly so that the European anti-Starlink program will start. At the same time, Europe must protect the technologies it has developed or will develop in the field of satellite technology. “ HELLAS CEO.

Comes Hellas Sat 5

‘We are moving after Hellas Sat 3 and Hellas Sat 4 in the plan for construction satellitehis Hellas Sat 5, while Throughout this effort in Europe, Hellas Sat, as Europe’s national satellite organizationof course it participates in all the events related to Defense, the attempt to gather the capacity available, the available defensive resources that Europe has in order to exploits an “anti-Starlink” attempt. In our case, we are shielded as we already have both Teleports in Greece and Cyprus and we are trying to make another Teleport in Greece the site that will be announced in the coming period. At the same time this year we will sign the construction contract for the new Hellas Sat 5 satellite, Hellas Sat 5, and through many meetings and visits we make to date we try to complete the final planning of the new satellite. ” The CEO of Hellas Sat has revealed.

For him HELLAS SAT 5 satellite In January 2024 we also had the signature of a cooperation for the joint development of a useful load of optical communications that will be placed in the satellite under construction, a memorandum signed by the Hellas Sat and Thales Alenia Space With the participation of representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister of Greece, the French Embassy in Greece, the CNES, Thales Alenia Space France, Italy and Switzerland, the National Observatory of Athens, as well as various Greek Ministries and Local Authorities, a cooperation under the overall European organization. These are free space optical communications with lasers that are estimated to provide significantly larger capacitations compared to current satellite communication systems, a Contact up to 1 Terabit/second against gigabit/sec from ground to geostatic orbit.