Europe scrambles to break its dependence on Musk's cheap satellites

Eva Berneke was traveling to meet European officials when Elon Musk posted on his social-media site X that "Ukraine's entire front line would collapse" if he turned off his satellite internet service Starlink there.

- Margherita Stancati, Matthew Dalton & Vera Bergengruen

Musk's words sent shudders through Europe's security establishment. European governments were already nervous about the Trump administration's tone of disdain for traditional U.S. allies, pressure on Ukraine and pursuit of a rapprochement with Russia. Much of the continent is looking to reduce its reliance on the U.S., including the mercurial Musk.

Owned by Musk's SpaceX, Starlink is indispensable for Ukrainian soldiers, who have relied on its terminals for communication, drone control and artillery coordination since Russia invaded in 2022.

But Starlink's dominance has highlighted the risk of relying on a single U.S. company and its unpredictable owner.

European authorities now want Eutelsat, based in a non-descript office district outside Paris, to provide a backup to Starlink in Ukraine as quickly as possible, via its satellite-internet service OneWeb.

In the longer term, they are counting on Eutelsat to help build a space communication network that would make the continent more autonomous.

Doubts abound that Eutelsat can compete with Starlink anytime soon.

"OneWeb is not a suitable alternative to Starlink in any way, shape or form," said Christopher Baugh, a satellite-industry expert at consulting firm Analysys Mason.

"Launching many satellites doesn't happen overnight."

Eutelsat wants to increase capacity. The question is how fast—and who will foot the bill.

Working in the company's favor is the momentous geopolitical shift since President Trump returned to the White House.

Berneke, a 56-year-old who professes little taste for politics, said she first noticed the change in mid-February after Vice President JD Vance lambasted Europe's democracies at a security conference in Munich, alleging that European suppression of free speech and isolation of far-right parties posed a greater threat than Russia.