Submission + - Post-election Ukraine/Germany partnership on satellite intel undercuts Trump! 1
sleeplesseye writes: After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine's Deputy PM Mykhailo Fedorov — who has since taken over the country's technology-centered Ministry for Digital Transformation — wrote a letter to the world's leading providers of microwave-based SAR satellite imagery — able to see through dark nights and cloudy skies — seeking real-time imagery to help in the defense of Ukraine.
In July of last year, Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding with ICEYE, a Finnish company, who promised not to provide satellite data to Russia and its intermediaries, something that US companies like Maxar and Planet repeatedly failed to do, at the expense of the Ukrainian people. Fast forward to November 11th, just six days after Trump's reelection. German arms maker Rheinmetall entered into a partnership with Finnish company ICEYE, to provide Ukraine with real-time SAR satellite imagery for the war, with the German Ministry of Defense picking up the entire cost of the project.
So now, even as the Trump administration cuts off sharing satellite intelligence with Ukraine — likely taking business & jobs away from US satellite companies — Finland's ICEYE and Germany's Rheinmetall stand to benefit.
In July of last year, Ukraine signed a memorandum of understanding with ICEYE, a Finnish company, who promised not to provide satellite data to Russia and its intermediaries, something that US companies like Maxar and Planet repeatedly failed to do, at the expense of the Ukrainian people. Fast forward to November 11th, just six days after Trump's reelection. German arms maker Rheinmetall entered into a partnership with Finnish company ICEYE, to provide Ukraine with real-time SAR satellite imagery for the war, with the German Ministry of Defense picking up the entire cost of the project.
So now, even as the Trump administration cuts off sharing satellite intelligence with Ukraine — likely taking business & jobs away from US satellite companies — Finland's ICEYE and Germany's Rheinmetall stand to benefit.
