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If Ukraine Loses Starlink, Here Are the Best Alternatives


OneWeb, Project Kuiper, and IRIS2 could all, in time, replace Elon Musk's satellite communications system in Ukraine, but they will struggle to replicate Starlink's coverage and usability.

A nearby Starlink terminal, a small, square-shaped panel facing the sky, was about to beam their voices to a satellite in low Earth orbit, which in turn would relay their calls to relatives hundreds or thousands of kilometers away. For them to be able to have that moment of normality,” says Ada Wordsworth, director of KHARPP, a charity predominantly working to rebuild homes in Ukraine, who brought the Starlink terminal to this village with her team in 2023. They have connected people displaced by the war, helped a kindergarten offer online English lessons to children, and allowed doctors to access patients’ medical records.

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