Amazon's Leo constellation has 390 satellites in orbit. Starlink has more than 11,000. That's not a rivalry. That's a kid's lemonade stand suing Costco.
Eutelsat has more than 600. Good for Eutelsat. Their own CEO, Eva Berneke, admitted they couldn't cover all of Ukraine. "Let's just be very honest," she said. Rare. Almost unsettling for a satellite executive.
The EU's answer is IRIS², which isn't expected to launch until 2029. By then Ukraine will have been shopping for a backup plan for four years. Some people take less time to choose a casket.
Here's the situation. On Oct. 14, Ukrainian officials said speed limits hit Starshield without warning. Drones moving faster than 100 mph lost connectivity. One commander told The New York Times it cost his unit over $1 million and delayed missions three days.
The Wall Street Journal reported Musk ordered the changes himself after discussing them with Trump. Trump says he "was not involved." Musk didn't comment. Two men, one throttle, zero owners.
Senator John Cornyn called it "frankly shameful." When Cornyn and Pramila Jayapal agree on something, you should check the sky for other omens.
Eutelsat's CEO also said dependence on Starlink can be decided at the White House or Mar-a-Lago. Imagine running a war on infrastructure with a booking system like that. Still better than your brokerage app, retail traders. It at least tells you when it's down.
The alternatives are small, late, or arriving in 2029. Ukraine's options are a monopoly run by a man who moonlights as a diplomat, or a pile of satellites that mostly exist in press releases.
Somewhere a retail trader is buying Eutelsat calls because "the thesis is obvious." It is. So was the iceberg.
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