ICEYE, Nokia Partner on Sovereign Satellite Comms for 2028 Launch
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Helsinki – October 01, 2026 -- ICEYE and Nokia have agreed to jointly develop secure, sovereign low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite communications systems for governments and defense customers, with the first satellites expected to launch in 2028.
Nations will own and control the full satellite communications stack
The partnership targets a system in which governments hold full ownership of the satellites, ground segment and terminals, removing reliance on foreign commercial operators' terms of service. The broadband LEO network is designed to serve defense, border security, emergency services and disaster response missions with high-throughput, low-latency connectivity over priority mission areas.