Satellite-Related Tenders in Ukraine – Overview and Key Examples (14.06.2025)

Introduction

Ukraine’s public procurement system (Prozorro) has facilitated numerous tenders related to satellite technology in recent years. These tenders range from building ground infrastructure for satellite navigation, to purchasing satellite communication equipment (like Starlink internet terminals), and leasing satellite bandwidth for communications and broadcasting. Below we review a list of notable “satellite” tenders in Ukraine, sorted by budget (highest first), and provide a general overview of each. We also discuss the context and implications of these procurements.

Largest Satellite Tender: GNSS Network Development (UAH 167 million)

The biggest satellite-related tender identified is the State Space Agency’s project to develop a nationwide GNSS station network. In June 2025, the State Space Agency of Ukraine (ДКА України) announced an open bidding for “Development of the state network of GNSS stations for implementing services of the coordinate-time and navigation support system.” The expected value of this project is UAH 167,130,500 (approximately $4.5 million) opendatabot.ua. This large-scale tender aims to expand and upgrade Ukraine’s ground infrastructure for satellite navigation (GNSS), which would improve positioning services (critical for surveying, geodesy, and potentially support precise navigation for defense and civilian use). The tender was created on 06 June 2025 and was open for bidding (auction stage) as of mid-June 2025 opendatabot.ua. This investment underscores Ukraine’s commitment to enhancing its satellite navigation capabilities domestically, likely reducing reliance on foreign GNSS augmentation and improving accuracy for users across the country.

Context: This GNSS network project aligns with Ukraine’s broader space and navigation strategy. The government had earlier adopted a 2021–2025 Space Program concept with an estimated budget of UAH 15 billion mod.gov.ua, aiming to restore and develop space infrastructure despite the ongoing war. The GNSS network is a key part of that effort, providing critical civilian and military navigation support. By funding nearly UAH 167 million in this tender, Ukraine is effectively rebuilding precise timing and positioning services. This can have applications from land surveying and construction to artillery targeting and drone navigation for defense.

High-Value Satellite Communication Tenders

Several medium-sized tenders have addressed satellite communication needs, particularly in response to wartime requirements for resilient connectivity. One example is the procurement of Starlink satellite internet equipment by various Ukrainian entities:

• PoltavaTeploenergo Starlink Procurement (UAH 2.2 million): In January 2023, the Poltava Regional Heating Utility (“Poltavateploenergo”) tendered for “Starlink satellite communications equipment,” with an expected value of UAH 2,200,000 tendersontime.com. The tender was for 44 Starlink terminal kits tendersontime.com to provide backup internet connectivity. This procurement, ultimately valued at 2.2 million UAH (around $60,000), equipped the regional utility with SpaceX Starlink terminals to ensure internet access during infrastructure outages. The use of Starlink reflects how Ukrainian critical infrastructure operators turned to satellite internet for resilience amid frequent power and fiber disruptions.
• Local Government Starlink Purchases: Many smaller tenders by city councils and communal services have similarly bought Starlink terminals or satellite modems. For example, the Kremenchuk City Executive Committee (Poltava region) procured Starlink equipment for about UAH 166,000 in 2023 zakupivli.pro. Such procurements are typically in the tens or hundreds of thousands of hryvnia, covering a handful of terminals for backup communication. They illustrate a broad trend: dozens of Ukrainian municipalities, utilities, and even police units have adopted satellite internet solutions to maintain connectivity for critical services tendersontime.com tendersontime.com. While each individual tender is modest, collectively they indicate significant uptake of satellite tech at local levels.
• Security and Defense Uses: Some military or security-related tenders also appear under satellite equipment categories on Prozorro. For instance, the National Police in Kyiv launched a 2024 tender for a “system to increase drone range with an amplifier,” categorized under DK 021:2015 – 32530000-7 (Telecommunications satellite equipment) tenderimpulse.com tenderimpulse.com. Although specific contract values are not always disclosed for defense tenders, many are relatively small (e.g. tens of thousands of UAH) and often procured via simplified or direct methods due to urgency. Military units have purchased items like satellite phones, BGAN terminals, and portable VSATs in low quantities. These ensure frontline or field units can communicate securely even if terrestrial networks are down. It’s worth noting that larger defense-related satellite communications contracts are likely classified and handled outside the public Prozorro system due to security concerns.

Satellite Broadcasting and Capacity Leases

Beyond hardware, Ukraine’s public sector also tenders for satellite services – for example, leasing satellite transponder capacity to broadcast television or to connect remote stations:

• Television Satellite Uplink (USD 72,000): In May 2025, the Kyiv City Council’s TV company “Telekompaniya Kyiv” contracted for satellite broadcast services. The tender, titled “Services for TV program transmission including provision of satellite capacity (Earth-to-satellite uplink via teleport), multiplexing and signal monitoring to broadcast the programs of KP ‘Telekompaniya Kyiv’,” had an expected cost of $72,000 USD (about 2.6 million UAH) zakupivli.pro. The procurement was done as a direct negotiated contract (without open auction, likely due to a sole provider situation) and fell under CPV category 64220000-4 (Telecommunications services, except telephone/data) zakupivli.pro. Essentially, this deal purchased capacity on a communications satellite (and associated teleport services) to broadcast the Kyiv municipal TV channel’s content. The use of a teleport and satellite link suggests the channel’s signal is being uplinked to a satellite (for example, AMOS-7 or another satellite covering Ukraine) for distribution – a common practice to reach viewers via satellite or feed terrestrial transmitters in areas where fiber links are damaged. This $72k contract highlights that even amid conflict, Ukrainian broadcasters rely on satellite infrastructure to maintain coverage (particularly as many terrestrial TV towers were targets of attacks).
• Satellite Bandwidth for Government Communications: Similarly, other government bodies have leased satellite bandwidth. For instance, Ukraine’s Special Communications Service and Armed Forces have utilized satellite channels (often via foreign partners) to ensure command-and-control connectivity. One notable case (outside Prozorro) was the purchase of a dedicated satellite imagery service from ICEYE in 2022 – a SAR reconnaissance satellite was effectively licensed to Ukraine via a charitable fund. While not an open tender, it underscores how Ukraine has been willing to spend millions on satellite capabilities. In the public procurement sphere, there have been tenders for satellite phone airtime and “satellite circuit rental services” (CPV 64214100-0) by agencies to keep communications running. These usually appear as service contracts with telecom providers and can range in the low millions of UAH. For example, leasing a transponder on AMOS or Azerspace to carry Ukrainian state TV worldwide has historically been a multi-million hryvnia expense, often handled by state broadcasters or the Ukrkosmos enterprise. In one recent procurement, satellite capacity on AMOS-7 was justified under CPV 64220000-4 for public broadcasting needs 1zahid.com, showing the continued reliance on foreign satellites for Ukraine’s information infrastructure.

Other Notable Tenders and Trends

Beyond the specific big-ticket items above, a survey of Prozorro data (via SmartTender categories) reveals several recurring themes in Ukraine’s satellite-related tenders:

• No Major New Satellite Construction via Prozorro: There have been no public tenders for building or launching a new Ukrainian satellite through Prozorro in recent years. Big space projects (like constructing satellites) are typically handled via direct government funding or international collaborations, not open bidding. For example, Ukraine’s Sich-2-1 earth observation satellite (launched in January 2022) was developed in-house by Ukrainian enterprises and launched via a direct contract with SpaceX, rather than via a public tender. The absence of such tenders in Prozorro suggests that critical space infrastructure projects are either put on hold due to the war or executed outside the standard procurement process. Instead, the focus through Prozorro has been on ground and user-segment: buying equipment and services that use satellites (communications, navigation, broadcasting) rather than building satellites themselves.
• Widespread Adoption of Satellite Internet: The proliferation of Starlink terminals in Prozorro tenders is a striking trend since 2022. Hundreds of small procurements – by military units, police departments, hospitals, power companies, and local governments – appear under categories like “Telecommunications satellite equipment” or related CPVs mspu.gov.ua mspu.gov.ua. These range from a few sets to dozens of sets per tender. This reflects how indispensable satellite internet became in Ukraine, providing connectivity in combat zones and during blackouts. Elon Musk’s Starlink network, in particular, has been life-saving: many terminals were donated, but government entities also bought additional units via Prozorro to fulfill specific needs. For instance, the National Police of Kyiv and other security agencies procured Starlink kits and satellite modems for field operations biddetail.com biddetail.com. Even critical civilian services – like Energoatom (the nuclear energy operator) – installed Starlink on mobile response units (e.g. communication-equipped vehicles) to ensure communication in case of network failure censor.net parlament.ua. Overall, satellite internet tenders might individually be small, but taken together they represent a significant investment to bolster Ukraine’s communication resilience.
• Satellite Imagery and Geospatial Services: While not always labeled under obvious “satellite” CPVs, Ukrainian ministries have also procured geospatial data and remote sensing services. For example, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and State Emergency Service have used Prozorro to buy satellite imagery analysis services (often categorized under mapping or consulting codes). One dynamic procurement system in 2023–2024 involved satellite monitoring of agriculture to detect crop types and illegal logging, though much of this was funded by donors. Additionally, international partners and NGOs sometimes run tenders for satellite imagery on Ukraine’s behalf (for environmental or humanitarian monitoring), but these might not show up in the domestic tender platforms.

Conclusions and Discussion

Conclusions: The landscape of satellite-related tenders in Ukraine shows that the highest expenditures are going into satellite-enabled infrastructure and services, rather than satellites themselves. The top tender (UAH 167 million) for a GNSS ground station network demonstrates Ukraine’s resolve to improve navigation accuracy and autonomy opendatabot.ua opendatabot.ua. Meanwhile, medium-sized contracts (on the order of millions of hryvnia) are ensuring communications continuity via satellites – whether by purchasing Starlink terminals for internet or leasing transponder capacity for television and government communications zakupivli.pro zakupivli.pro. These investments have proven crucial during the war, as terrestrial telecom and power infrastructure have been damaged; satellites offer a resilient fallback.

Discussion: A few key points emerge from these tender activities:

• Resilience and Redundancy: Ukrainian authorities clearly value satellite solutions to build resilience. The widespread Starlink procurements for backup internet and the satellite TV uplink for broadcasting “Telekompaniya Kyiv” are both responses to a wartime need for redundancy. They ensure that even if fiber lines are cut or power is out, critical communications (internet for utilities, news broadcast to the public) can continue via satellite. This indicates a strategic pivot to space-based assets as reliable alternatives when ground networks are compromised.
• Cost-Effectiveness vs. Sovereignty: Procuring services like Starlink or leasing foreign satellite capacity is relatively quick and cost-effective compared to developing indigenous satellites. In the short term, Ukraine has opted to buy or rent capacity (from SpaceX, SES, Spacecom, etc.) rather than launch its own satellites for communications. While this meets immediate needs, it raises questions about long-term sovereignty: reliance on foreign-owned satellites could be a vulnerability. The government’s space program concept (2021–2025) did articulate goals for Ukrainian telecom and observation satellites, but the war and budget constraints have delayed these ambitions mod.gov.ua. The GNSS network tender, however, shows an investment in domestic capability (even though GNSS uses U.S. GPS signals, the ground segment will be Ukrainian-owned). Over time, we may see more tenders aiming to develop Ukraine’s own satellite systems once the situation stabilizes.
• Open Procurement and Transparency: It’s noteworthy that many satellite-related needs are still procured via open tenders on Prozorro, underlining Ukraine’s commitment to transparency even during conflict. The GNSS project went to competitive bidding, and even relatively small purchases (like Starlink kits for local communities) are publicly tendered and recorded. Some exceptions exist (certain defense procurements are kept secret or done outside Prozorro for security), but by and large the public can trace how funds are spent on satellite tech. For example, anyone can see that Kyiv’s municipal TV spent $72k on satellite broadcast services zakupivli.pro, or that a heating company in Poltava bought 44 Starlink units tendersontime.com tendersontime.com. This openness helps build trust and allows oversight of how effective these expenditures are (e.g., auditors can later evaluate if those Starlink units were used properly).
• Future Outlook: As Ukraine moves forward, we expect satellite tenders to continue focusing on services and ground equipment in the near term, with potential major investments in Ukrainian-built satellites later on. Upcoming reconstruction efforts may include tenders for satellite imagery to support rebuilding (e.g., damage assessment), and expansion of telecommunication services to rural areas via satellite. If the security situation allows, Ukraine might revisit plans to launch communication satellites (perhaps in partnership with allied nations or private companies) – those projects would entail much larger tenders than we’ve seen so far. For now, however, Ukraine is maximizing existing commercial satellite solutions to meet critical needs quickly.

In summary, Ukraine’s satellite-related public procurements have been pragmatic and driven by immediate necessity. The highest-value tender (GNSS network) strengthens fundamental infrastructure for navigation opendatabot.ua, while numerous smaller tenders ensure connectivity and information flows via satellite links zakupivli.pro tendersontime.com. These efforts collectively improve the country’s resilience and lay groundwork for more advanced space capabilities in the future.

Sources

• State Space Agency of Ukraine – Tender UA-2025-06-06-011367-a: “Development of the state GNSS station network…” (Prozorro, June 2025) – UAH 167.13 million opendatabot.ua opendatabot.ua.
• Poltavateploenergo – Tender UA-2023-01-19-010668-a: “Starlink satellite communication equipment,” UAH 2.2 million, 44 sets (Prozorro, Jan 2023) tendersontime.com tendersontime.com.
• KP “Telekompaniya Kyiv” – Contract UA-2025-05-14-013648-a: Satellite capacity lease for TV broadcasting, $72,000 USD (Prozorro, May 2025) zakupivli.pro zakupivli.pro.
• CPV Classification (DK 021:2015) – definitions of satellite-related procurement categories (telecom equipment, satellites, launch services, etc.) mspu.gov.ua mspu.gov.ua.
• Cabinet of Ministers – Ukraine’s Space Program 2021–2025 Concept (budget UAH 15 billion for space initiatives) mod.gov.ua.
• TS2 Technology Analysis – “Ukraine’s Mega 2025 Tenders” and “Ukraine Tenders in 2025: Processes & Opportunities” – industry reports summarizing major tenders and procurement trends ts2.tech ts2.tech. (Provides context on tender volumes and reforms).
• Miscellaneous Prozorro records of satellite equipment purchases and service contracts (Starlink, satellite phones, broadcasting services), via SmartTender, Zakupivli, and DOZORRO portals tendersontime.com 1zahid.com. These illustrate the breadth of smaller satellite-related procurements across Ukraine’s public sector.