L’impennata del 550% di Eutelsat: il rivale di Starlink in Europa fa esplodere

#PRÉCIS: Eutelsat’s Meteoric Rise as Europe’s Satellite Ambitions Soar

A dramatic stock surge has propelled France’s Eutelsat into the spotlight, with investors betting on the satellite company as a potential European answer to Elon Musk’s Starlink. Over the past week, Eutelsat’s shares skyrocketed by more than 550 per cent, fuelled by speculation that it could step in to provide critical connectivity for Ukraine as US support wavers. The sudden rise in fortunes signals more than just a market anomaly. It is a high-stakes geopolitical shift, with Europe looking to assert itself in space technology while Washington recalibrates its commitments.

Ukraine has relied heavily on Starlink’s vast satellite network since the Russian invasion, with over seven thousand of Musk’s satellites keeping military communications online. However, uncertainty has grown following Donald Trump’s decision to pause US military aid and reports that American negotiators had considered using Starlink access as a diplomatic tool. With European leaders concerned about over-reliance on US technology, Eutelsat has emerged as a potential alternative, offering internet coverage through its OneWeb network, which currently operates six hundred low-Earth orbit satellites. The company’s CEO has pledged to deploy forty thousand terminals in Ukraine, matching Starlink’s existing presence.

Despite the excitement, Eutelsat faces significant challenges. Its network is far smaller than Starlink’s, and its terminals are considerably more expensive, with some costing nearly seventeen times as much as Musk’s. While the European Union’s long-term satellite project is not expected to launch until 2030, Eutelsat is now seen as a stopgap measure in Europe’s push for technological independence. The stock rally has slowed slightly, but the message remains clear. The battle for control over Europe’s satellite communications is gathering pace, and Eutelsat’s sudden rise suggests that the continent is no longer content to leave its orbital future in American hands.

That good and all. But the question is how often can you launch it cheaply. Starlink won’t exist without mass production and Falcon 9 reusability.

This is a major step in the right direction. Honestly starlink is just another weapon for musk and trump.

I think MAGA was a misspelling, it was supposed to be MEGA.

SpaceX and Starlink are not publicly listed so it’s hard to compare with Eutelsat. Eutelsat also uses SpaceX to launch it satellites.

It took time…well done for moving

At the moment Eutelsat can’t replace Starlink, and in fact I am tempted to short the living fuck out if it.

It bought OneWeb which should have been Starlink’s big competitor few years ago, but their satellite network is 10x smaller (600 or so satellites, compared to Starlink’s 7000). Then there is the nightmare with receiver dishes, first of all, they simply don’t have enough on hand, and can’t ramp up manufacturing, in fact they get their receivers from multiple sources/companies, the cost is in thousands (way more expensive than starlink) and I don’t think any of them uses phased arrays. The BIG advantage of Starlink is that the receiver is a phased array dish, it generally has preloaded info about satellite orbits, and it sends signal in a narrow beam. Even then there are reports saying that Russia starts shooting once they are turned on. Now imagine a receiver that doesn’t send a narrow, targeted signal, that’s the alternative, a huge 12ghz radio beacon saying “HEY, WE ARE HERE”. A fucking nightmare.

Also this is why literally only starlink is being used on the front, all the other satellite internet dishes can very easily be detected.

I hope Eutelsat will actually deliver a proper starlink alternative, not just enjoy its monopoly status.

Buy shares if you can

Eutelsat has been supplying to Russia all this time. Not a good look.