Ukraine is developing a way to launch satellites into orbit without relying on traditional spaceports, potentially supporting efforts to counter Russia’s hypersonic missile threat, according to a Defense Express report.

The report comes after a senior Ukrainian lawmaker said Monday that the country had quietly launched two rockets into space using a transport aircraft. 

“During the war, Ukraine launched a rocket launcher from a transport aircraft at an altitude of approximately 8,000 meters, which could potentially also be used to launch various types of spacecraft into orbit,” Fedir Venislavskyi, head of the Ukrainian parliament’s subcommittee on state security, defense, and defense innovations, told local media outlet RBC-Ukraine.

According to Defense Express, the launch is linked to the Orbit Boy project, a system designed to deploy a carrier rocket from an aircraft, enabling launches without fixed ground infrastructure.

“Ukraine is indeed working on developing its own means of placing satellites into space, using a rocket launched from an aircraft without the need to build a spaceport,” the report notes.

The news outlet added that the project has gone through multiple stages of development, including a solid-fuel upper-stage engine test in 2021 and the completion of a launch platform in 2023. 

On Oct. 29, 2025, the company confirmed a milestone achievement, saying it successfully released an engineering model of the rocket from an altitude of about 5,000 meters. The test was reportedly carried out using an An-70 aircraft. 

Venislavskyi also said Ukraine aims to establish its own space force capable of gathering intelligence from space and countering enemy orbital missile systems. He said the branch would help defend the country against Russia’s Oreshnik missiles, described as intermediate-range ballistic weapons with an estimated range of 3,000 to 5,500 kilometers (about 1,860 to 3,420 miles).

A second priority is communications. Ukraine relies heavily on Starlink, the satellite internet network operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, due to its reliability and ease of deployment.

Analysts have repeatedly warned that Ukraine’s dependence on a U.S.-owned system carries risks. 

Musk has previously restricted Starlink access, reportedly affecting Ukrainian operations in Crimea. The U.S. also reportedly threatened to cut off Starlink in February 2025 if Ukraine did not agree to a minerals deal. 

Russia also initially benefited from access to Starlink until the U.S. War Department moved to restrict its use.

Venislavskyi said that if Ukraine develops its own satellites, it “will provide fully secure communications for both the state and military leadership.”