EXPLORINEER
en

UK — The Register

Open Cosmos steps up Europe's space sovereignty game, shows off ConnectedCosmos satellites

Space1 min read

Open Cosmos, a space company based in Europe, showed off its satellite factory and its new ConnectedCosmos satellite network. The network is meant to give European customers a backup to foreign satellite internet services.

A tour of the satellite factory

The Register visited Open Cosmos's Harwell site in the UK. The company builds and tests satellites there. It also runs a service called OpenConstellation, which lets customers share data from Earth-watching satellites. Its ConnectedCosmos project is a new network for internet connectivity. The first two satellites were launched in January 2026 by Rocket Lab.

Why Europe wants its own options

Satellite internet has become a political issue. Recently, Ukraine's satellite service was slowed down and then restored. This made many people worry about depending on a foreign company, such as SpaceX with its Starlink service. Other options exist, such as Eutelsat OneWeb, and more are being built.

Key numbers

  • The first 2 ConnectedCosmos satellites are in orbit.
  • The company plans more than 96 satellites by the end of 2028.
  • Full coverage is planned for 2030.
  • The core network will have 192 satellites.
  • The company says it can build about 1 satellite per day.

Why it matters

Many countries and groups want to avoid relying on one foreign provider for internet from space. ConnectedCosmos is aimed at governments, institutions and businesses that want a backup. It is not designed for direct links to smartphones, so it is a different kind of service from Starlink.

What to watch

  • Whether Open Cosmos launches the planned satellites by 2028.
  • Whether the company reaches full global coverage by 2030.
  • Whether the one-satellite-per-day build rate holds up over time.
  • Whether the network can handle demand from government and business customers.

Glossary

Open Cosmos
A space company that builds satellites and runs data services from sites in the UK, Greece and Portugal.
ConnectedCosmos
Open Cosmos's planned satellite network that will provide internet connections from space.
OpenConstellation
Open Cosmos's service that lets customers share data from Earth-observation satellites.
Eutelsat OneWeb
A satellite internet provider that runs a network of satellites in orbit around Earth.

Same story, different eyes

Ad

Add 150 words. Learn 10 a day.

Dicter word books send only the words you learn to your review notes.

More in this topic

Spaceheise online

FCC Approves Amazon's Acquisition of Globalstar Despite Objection from Yippy

The US Federal Communications Commission has officially approved Amazon's acquisition of satellite communications provider Globalstar, valued at $11.5 billion, stating the combination serves the public interest. The only objection in the public comment process came from Yippy, a Globalstar partner, which Amazon and Globalstar said was pursuing an unrelated business dispute; the FCC appears to have agreed. Amazon plans to use the deal to expand its satellite network for direct-to-device services, which are slated to launch in 2028.

SpaceThe Verge

Elon Musk says Ukraine’s military violated Starlink’s terms of service

Elon Musk claims Ukraine's military violated Starlink's terms of service by using it for offensive drone strikes, a loophole he says was closed last week. Ukrainian officials deny this and say commercial Starlink cannot technically be used for such missions, which require the military Starshield system. Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Starlink and Starshield services had been fully restored.

Spaceheise online

NASA's Swift telescope ends more than 20 years of research and will soon burn up

NASA says its Swift space telescope has stopped its research at an altitude below 275 kilometers and is expected to fall within weeks, as increasing atmospheric drag prevents it from observing astronomical targets continuously enough. A robotic rescue mission by Katalyst to raise its orbit failed, and it was never even attempted. Swift, which was designed for a two-year primary mission, worked more than ten times that long, studying over 2,000 gamma-ray bursts and more than 1,400 supernovae.

Space전자신문

The Road from Hwaseong to Space: 60 Experts Draft the Blueprint for the Aerospace Industry

Hwaseong Special City in Gyeonggi Province is forming a 60-member task force to foster its aerospace industry. The task force will be launched at the "MARS 2026" AI expo at COEX in Seoul on November 3, and will develop two years of industry direction, key tasks, and external cooperation support across four divisions: policy and planning, space, aviation, and AI.