After the temporary suspension of intelligence data delivery to Ukraine by the Americans, including satellite data, and the question of deactivating the Starlink system, the discussion about the security and technological sovereignty of both Ukraine and Europe is getting louder. In an interview with Stanisław Dałek, Vice President of CloudFerro, a company that handles cloud processing of satellite data for, among others, the European space industry, climate research, and science, Kyiv Post addresses questions about the factual state of sovereignty, challenges, and the applications of the technology sector, including in the process of Ukraine’s reconstruction.
Farmlands by the Baltic Sea, August 13, 2024. Image: Copernicus Sanitel-2.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
Michał Kujawski: The United States temporarily stopped providing Ukraine with intelligence, including satellite images from Maxar. The media also raised the issue of the potential suspension of the Starlink system, which is crucial for maintaining communication for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. What does that say?
Stanisław Dałek: We cannot rely 100 percent on services provided by non-European entities that we don’t control, especially when it comes to critical capabilities for our security and the continuity of economic processes. We cannot be dependent on someone else’s whims.
Ukraine’s Strike on Engels Airbase Wipes Out 96 Russian Cruise Missiles
Other Topics of Interest
Ukraine’s Strike on Engels Airbase Wipes Out 96 Russian Cruise Missiles
According to the General Staff, these missiles were intended for three planned strikes in March and April 2025.
MK: Recent events clearly show the dependency of both Ukraine and Europe on the United States. What does the landscape of digital technologies and services look like?
SD: To some extent, that’s true, but on the other hand, it’s not something that nobody in Europe has ever thought about. We have, for example, the European civil satellite program Copernicus, which makes Europe a global leader in the civil use of satellites. The Sentinel data from the European satellites is used worldwide, including by the Americans. These satellites perform systematic acquisition – gathering all available data, which is made available in long-term global repositories. This allows countries with weak infrastructure and mapping capabilities to fill geo-information gaps. This is especially relevant for African and South American countries.
MK: So, we’re not completely left to our fate in this area?
SD: When it comes to civil satellite data, that’s true. However, we are in a worse situation when it comes to military data. Copernicus satellites have too low resolution. We’re talking about 10m-by-10m pixels – while you can spot a ship, identifying a car or a tank would be problematic, not to mention individual soldiers. However, there are companies in Europe with satellites of higher resolution, such as Airbus and others.
MK: What is the relationship between state sovereignty and dependency on data suppliers?
SD: In times of conflict, local, self-reliant infrastructure and capabilities are key. Unfortunately, Europe has deficiencies in this area, though the ground segment is not one of them – it is quite well-supported. For example, our company has been building expertise in handling satellite data for 10 years. Europe also has many satellite manufacturers, but when it comes to massive, high-resolution constellations, American providers are simply better.
PULL QUOTE: Right now, there is no real, full alternative to SpaceX.
MK: What makes them better, and what are we lacking?
SD: First of all, Europe lacks the ability to launch satellites. American SpaceX is the unquestionable leader – it leaves the competition behind. European rockets like Ariane can launch satellites into orbit, but their operation is significantly more expensive. In the end, there is no capability to launch satellites at the pace and scale that SpaceX does – Starlink currently has around 7,000 satellites in orbit. For comparison, Eutelsat has over 600. Work is underway on the European IRIS² system, but it will be a few years before it becomes operational. Right now, there is no real, full alternative to SpaceX.
PULL QUOTE: Europe should open its internal market to make it easier for small startups to scale.
MK: SpaceX is a hegemon. Are we dealing with a big tech oligarchy, and considering recent events, a technological feudalism?
SD: This is a broader issue than just acquiring satellite data; it also concerns cloud services and big data processing. Indeed, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft dominate, but please remember that there are companies in Europe that are doing well. However, the Americans had an advantage – their market is huge, open, and supported by American public procurement.
European public procurement was fragmented – each country had its own area. You can see this clearly in the telecommunications industry – there are several huge players in the US. In comparison, there are about 200 such companies in Europe. Naturally, they are smaller and do not achieve the same results as American companies.
Europe, on one hand, should open its internal market to make it easier for small startups to scale, and on the other hand, ensure that public procurement is done by European suppliers. The market should be consolidated but also protected. We need to move away from the situation where Europe buys more digital services abroad than it produces. According to data from a few years ago, Europe produces under 10 percent of the world’s cloud services but consumes 30 percent.
MK: The disparity is huge. Which way is this going?
SD: Europe’s capabilities are increasing but considering the speed at which China and other Asian countries are developing, it’s happening too slowly. There is no prospect of change in the near future, but anything can happen. If Europe wants to maintain its technological and strategic position, it has no choice but to change its approach. I think there is currently a brutal awakening among European elites.
MK: If Maxar or Starlink are shut down, will Ukraine or Europe be left to fend for themselves, or do we have alternatives?
SD: There are alternatives, but their activation is not immediate. They will not cover the full demand either. For example, with Starlink – communication can be ensured, but not to the same level. We’ve become accustomed to the luxury of good communication, which is simply vital for soldiers on the frontlines.
Analysis if war damage in Mariupol. 12-daus S1A coherence highlighting Mariupol destruction.
MK: There is a lot of talk about Europe’s backwardness compared to the US or China. What is the true picture?
SD: Europe has many ideas, innovations, new technologies, and scientific developments, but it is much worse than in the US, because that’s what we mainly compare ourselves to. Especially when it comes to tech businesses and their scaling. Our scientific achievements are rarely translated into successful business ventures. The European startup funding sector is much weaker than the American one, and a common scenario is that American investors eventually take over European startups. There’s a lot to catch up on.
MK: We keep circling around security policy and war. In which other industries can satellite images be applied?
SD: For example, for improving many processes – it’s a game-changer in agriculture. With the support of satellite data, you can precisely control irrigation, fertilization, etc. High technologies significantly increase productivity and reduce environmental impact.
MK: A farmer looking at a field from space is not an obvious example.
SD: True. But it can have a significant role for Ukraine, whose agricultural market is enormous, and its farms are very large.
MK: Could this be applied in the reconstruction of Ukraine, which is being talked about more and more and which won’t just be a literal rebuilding but also a modernization?
SD: This is a very important aspect. There are many less obvious applications of satellite technology that are of great importance. These include precise weather forecasting, climate change, natural disasters, energy, renewable energy, construction, the insurance industry, and damage assessment, where satellite data can verify what actually happened. There’s also a wide range of maritime applications – from monitoring ship traffic to fishing and tracking fish schools, as well as monitoring fishing boats. Another class of satellites are radar satellites equipped with precision radar, enabling terrain measurement to the centimeter. This allows detection of movements and shifts – everything from earthquakes to mining, or monitoring pipelines and potential leaks.
MK: Technological independence is therefore crucial not only for security but also for development, the economy, and ordinary functioning. Is this a strategic area?
SD: It is absolutely a strategic field. Remember the cables cut on the Baltic Sea floor. The ability to handle the whole data processing chain for satellite observations in an autonomous way is key. Considering all the strategic applications of satellite data, we can’t afford to lose this capability in case of problems. Going back to Starlink – please remember that it is a civilian technology whose military application is extremely useful.
MK: What conclusions should Ukraine and Europe draw from recent events?
SD: We should invest in our own autonomous capabilities and not rely on external suppliers. Globalization has led us to organize various services efficiently and cheaply, but that time is ending. Such conclusions are usually drawn after damage has been done. The same happened with Covid when it turned out that goods from China stopped being delivered due to disruptions in supply chains. Some were prepared for it – especially those with their own local production who could function autonomously. We must be ready to pay a little more in order to have our own European capabilities. That’s the key to security and stability.