ReOrbit pitches Australia a locally owned alternative to Starlink

ReOrbit, a Finnish builder of communications satellites, has told Australia it could help local firms and the government set up their own rival to Starlink, made and owned domestically. Chief commercial officer Markus Räikkönen said he has a personal interest in seeing that happen and expects to travel to Australia in February. Under the proposal ReOrbit would serve as systems integrator and pass on its expertise, leaving ownership potentially in local hands. The company assembles defence communications satellites in a former Ford car factory in Helsinki and wants to manufacture in Australia.

The approach lands as the Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation begins next year, obliging mobile carriers to deliver basic outdoor voice and text coverage via a low-earth-orbit satellite partner. Telstra and Optus have both contracted with Starlink for satellite-to-phone service. The Australian Telecommunications Alliance, the industry peak body, says the market offers no competitive options at present.

Räikkönen estimated that a sovereign constellation at roughly 550 kilometres altitude would need between 600 and 1,000 satellites to serve Australia, although a service could begin with fewer. He said Finland could cover its critical communications with one geostationary satellite, but Australia's large land area would require several. Governments, he said, increasingly want full ownership of satellites and ground stations, with data landing at home and no restrictions or kill switch controlled from abroad. For someone shopping online the identity of the satellite operator matters little, he said, but for defence it is extremely important.

Räikkönen pointed to recent events in Ukraine as an example of the control question. In late October Musk said SpaceX had restricted Ukraine's Starlink service, accusing the Ukrainian military of breaching terms by using it for offensive drone strikes. Ukrainian officials dispute that, and Ukraine says the disruption hampered its defensive operations for more than a week. Trump said he had told Musk to restore the service.

Canberra has tried a sovereign route before: Defence cancelled the $6.9 billion JP9102 military satellite project in 2024. ReOrbit was founded in 2019 and employs about 160 people. TechCrunch reported its €45 million raise last year as a record round for a European space start-up. Its first satellite, which processes data with on-board AI, is scheduled to launch in February.

Räikkönen said being Finnish helps in defence sales, since governments reluctant to pick between American and Chinese suppliers can buy from Finland without offending either. As he put it, "If you buy from Finland, nobody cares".