The formation will include both existing satellite models and those created in the Czech Republic specifically for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Czech Republic and Ukraine agreed to establish a joint defense cluster back in 2022. Within its framework, a space cooperation project was launched to form a monitoring satellite constellation. Jan Hrochman, editor-in-chief of the Czech newspaper Armadni novini, spoke about its creation in a blog post on «Militarny».
The basis of the formation will be TROLL satellites manufactured by the Czech company TRL Space, which will later be joined by Drak satellites developed specifically for Ukraine. TROLL carries a hyperspectral camera with a 100 mm lens diameter. It captures images of the Earth’s surface at a resolution of about 5 meters per pixel.
The Drak satellite is being developed by the Czech space cluster Brno Space Cluster under the main initiative of TRL Space. Ukrainian specialists are involved in the development. It is a larger satellite equipped with a camera in the visible spectrum «to see» with a resolution of less than 1 meter per pixel. The satellite will weigh from 50 to 150 kg, the exact characteristics are not disclosed for security reasons.
In the context of shaky relations with the United States, Ukraine needs not only reconnaissance satellites, but also reliable communications. The owner of SpaceX Elon Musk is difficult to suspect of sympathizing with Ukraine so Starlink requires an alternative. French-British Eutelsat considers expanding services to Ukraine and is negotiating with the EU on this issue.
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