HIMERA and GomSpace's Ukrainian communications test satellite is operating in orbit

Ukraine is working on a new Starshield deal with the United States before its current contract expires in mid-2027, Breaking Defense reported Nov. 5. Kyiv is also considering possible stopgap measures.¹

new deal with the USworking on termsplanned

Kyiv is working to hash out the terms of a new deal with the US

stopgap measurespossible stopgap measurescontingent

while also looking at possible stopgap measures

Reported by Breaking Defense, November 05, 2026

Sources

• breakingdefense.com ↗

TGOs tgos.ioShare

Ukraine has relied on Starshield, the U.S. military variant of SpaceX's Starlink satellite network, for drone operations. Ukraine's chargé d'affaires, Denys Sienik, said the country needs the new contract because it has “no effective alternative” to the low-Earth orbit satellite system.¹

Sienik told a Defense Writers Group breakfast that day that Kyiv was “in the process of starting” negotiations with leaders at the Department of War. He expressed hope that a contract would be signed, terms of reference negotiated and funding secured.¹

In October, Ukrainian officials claimed a sudden network change caused failures of drones and defenses that led to military and civilian deaths.¹

Sienik said the problem had been resolved and the network was working again, but Ukraine still had no explanation from the Pentagon or SpaceX about what happened.¹

Space Systems Command (SSC) awarded Viasat a competitive indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the Space Data Network Backbone’s Mission Operations Center, the command announced Nov. 5, 2026. The contract carries a $450 million maximum ceiling and a $115 million initial task order to design, field and scale the center.¹

maximum ceiling$450 millionactual

contract to Viasat, Inc., with a maximum ceiling of $450 million

initial task order$115 millionactual

to design, field, and scale the MOC

Source: Space Systems Command, Nov. 5, 2026

Sources

• www.ssc.spaceforce.mil ↗

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Viasat will serve as the network and mission system integration partner as SSC expands its open-architecture ecosystem across multiple space-segment providers. SSC plans to bring mission integration, network operations and data transport management together through the center.¹

The effort builds on the multi-vendor acquisition strategy demonstrated in the Space-Based Sensing and Targeting portfolio’s earlier Delivery Order 2 and Delivery Order 3 work. That work involved Amazon LEO for Government, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab and York Space Systems.¹

Breaking Defense reported that the center will serve as the network orchestration hub for the backbone, a low Earth orbit constellation being built by SpaceX. The network’s near-term focus will be supporting the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, the outlet reported.²

DefenseScoop reported that earlier this year the Department of War awarded SpaceX a $2.3 billion contract to deliver a fully operational backbone prototype by the end of 2027.³