Ukrainian and French companies have signed a cooperation agreement to establish a constellation of small Earth-observation satellites that will give Ukraine sovereign access to space-based intelligence.
According to a press release from the Ukrainian defense technology firm First Contact on September 27, the document was signed in Lviv during the IT Arena forum between the Ukrainian alliance “New Energy of Ukraine” and the French company “Prométhée Earth Intelligence.”
The project foresees the creation of a national consortium capable of deploying a constellation of satellites dedicated to high-frequency monitoring.
The initiative is designed to provide surveillance capabilities with refresh rates up to one hundred times higher than the European Union’s Copernicus program.
Group photo during the signing of a cooperation agreement between Ukrainian alliance *New Energy of Ukraine* and French company *Prométhée Earth Intelligence* at the IT Arena in Lviv, September 27, 2025. (Source: DEV.UA)
It will include a unified digital platform for consolidating information from multiple sources, as well as a modular architecture enabling gradual industrial expansion inside Ukraine.
Valeriy Borovyk, Chairman of the New Energy of Ukraine alliance, told dev.ua that the ultimate goal is to field a Ukrainian-controlled satellite group to support the security sector, with potential later applications in agriculture, energy, demining, and reconstruction.
“We plan that this will be our own satellite constellation belonging to Ukraine, under Ukrainian control, financed by our partners. We are considering several options,” Borovyk said.
On the Ukrainian side, the consortium includes defense and IT companies such as First Contact and the Laboratory of Advanced Jet Engines. France is represented by Prométhée, a Newspace operator that develops and manages nanosatellite fleets.
The signing ceremony was attended by Pierre Helbronn, Special Representative of the French President for Ukraine’s recovery, and Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of the French state investment bank BPI France.
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According to Borovyk, funding will come from a combination of French support and other partners, with talks planned with the European Defense Fund, NATO Innovation Fund, and additional governments.
“At this stage, the key factor is financing. We already have support from the French Ministry of Defense, and the next step is discussions with investors,” Borovyk added.
The cooperation agreement (Cooperation Agreement) signed with Prométhée will be followed by work on technical specifications, which will determine the cost structure. Meetings have also been held with Airbus, highlighting the complexity and scale of the project.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has previously created a space policy department to unify state, private, and academic initiatives in this field. According to government plans, Ukraine aims to establish Space Forces by the end of 2025 and deploy national satellites for defense, air-raid warning, and space domain awareness by 2030.
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