🇺🇦🛰️ Ukraine's parliament has taken a big step toward establishing a dedicated space force branch, but the effort remains in its early legislative stages and Ukraine still only has one operational satellite (built by Denmark).
On November 9, 2026, the Verhovna Rada approved Bill No. 13255 in first reading with 252 votes, paving the way for a new branch of the armed forces. The bill is not yet legal - it still requires another reading and a final vote before it goes into effect. Its stated goals are to develop a national early warning system to detect enemy missile launches and to build a secure satellite communications network for Ukraine's defense and security sector.
On the satellite front, Ukraine currently has one operational experimental satellite. The OBRIA NANO, developed by Ukraine's HIMERA and Denmark's GomSpace, was launched on October 1, 2026, aboard the SpaceX Transporter-18 mission and has already begun operations. It is specifically a technology prototype designed to test capabilities for a future independent Ukrainian communications network, not an operational constellation in its own right.
The long-term plan is much more ambitious. Ukraine's UASAT program envisions a constellation of about 300 satellites for maximum coverage. The roadmap calls for 120 satellites in orbit by 2027, and then 100-105 additional launches each year thereafter. An important next step will be the localization of satellite and ground station production within Ukraine.