Eva Berneke describes her first year at the helm of the world's third-largest satellite company as a "whirlwind." That's an understatement. Since she took over the top job at Eutelsat in January 2022, the Danish CEO has become a direct competitor to Elon Musk, been accused by the Ukrainian government of aiding Russian propaganda, and found herself in the thick of bitter Brexit politics—and that's before you even mention the Iranian sabotage attempt.
[...] Undaunted, Berneke responded by initiating her own shake-up. In July, the company announced plans to merge with struggling British satellite provider OneWeb. As part of the deal, Eutelsat absorbed OneWeb's constellation of 648 low-orbit satellites. At just 1,200 km above Earth, the OneWeb fleet delivers faster internet speeds than Eutelsat's geostationary satellites, which sit 35,000 km above the planet's surface.
[...] The OneWeb-Eutelsat merger has been touted as Europe's entry into the space race. It is the only company currently competing with Musk's Starlink in the low-orbit market. But to claim its title as a European space giant, Eutelsat first has to navigate messy post-Brexit politics. Both France's Eutelsat and Britain's OneWeb were part-owned by their respective governments, and the two countries will continue to own stakes in the new business.
Berneke admits Brexit has brought challenges. "But there's been a willingness on both sides to reach across the Channel to try and find a good way of collaborating," she says. If Europe wants a homegrown satellite giant, Britain and France will have to resolve their differences. "[OneWeb's fleet] is going to be one of the only non-US-based constellations for a while," she says.
Brexit politics are not the only hurdle. OneWeb's Gen One satellites need upgrading, and Eutelsat is planning to have more advanced Gen Two satellites in orbit by 2027. Berneke says this upgrade will cost 3 billion to 4 billion euros ($3.3-4.4 billion), a bold move for a company with a reputation for playing it safe.
[...] SpaceX's willingness to embrace risk was demonstrated by its close collaboration with the Ukrainian government, which exposed Starlink satellites to Russian jamming attacks. Eutelsat was pulled into the war for a different reason. In November, Ukraine's culture minister, Oleksandr Tkachenko, published an article in French newspaper Le Monde, criticizing Eutelsat for continuing to broadcast TV channels that carried Russian propaganda. Berneke did not deny the claims. "We've always had what we call a policy of neutrality," she says. Eutelsat follows guidance issued by French media regulator ARCOM on which channels are and aren't sanctioned.
Berneke resists the idea that executives should implement their own sanctions on top of legally binding restrictions—a trend that has been gathering pace since Russia's invasion of its neighbor. Apple, for example, voluntarily halted product sales in Russia following pressure from the Ukrainian government. "We're not going to try to do more ourselves," she says.
Instead she argues that this stance gives the company more legitimacy to push back when regimes, like Iran, do not want some Western channels broadcast locally.
(Score: 0, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Monday May 15, @12:46PM
She'll be coming for her geld, soon enough!
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