HIMERA and Denmark’s GomSpace say their OBRIA NANO test satellite has begun operating in orbit, marking an early step toward a planned Ukrainian communications network intended to broaden the country’s connectivity options.
GomSpace said in its Oct. 27 announcement that OBRIA NANO flew on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 mission, launched Oct. 1. SpaceX says its Falcon 9 lifted off at 11:32 a.m. Pacific Time (18:32 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carrying 130 payloads. SpaceX’s mission page does not name OBRIA NANO; HIMERA and GomSpace identify it as part of the flight.
The companies describe OBRIA NANO as the first test satellite for the planned OBRIA network. They say it has begun operating and is testing the constellation’s capabilities according to plan, with the work intended to inform the future operational system’s design. HIMERA co-founder and CEO Misha Rudominski said, “We are starting by testing technologies in orbit.”
The planned constellation is intended to provide communications coverage across Ukraine and complement European satellite networks. GomSpace said wartime reliance on foreign technology can create strategic vulnerabilities, and presented domestic capability as a way to broaden Ukraine’s communications options. The companies describe nationwide coverage as a future goal, rather than a capability demonstrated by the current test.
The companies said a Ukrainian operator will control OBRIA NANO but did not identify that operator. GomSpace identified building Ukraine’s capacity to make satellites and ground communications terminals as a future step. The announcement gave no timetable for that work or for deploying the wider constellation.
