Eutelsat and Skynopy Partner to Develop Global AKAR

Eutelsat and Skynopy have announced the formation of a strategic partnership to establish Global AKAR. This initiative is designed to develop one of the largest software-defined ground infrastructures currently available, supporting a wide array of satellite services including Earth observation, in-orbit operations, orbital data centers, and various telecommunication offerings.

The partnership is focused on building a resilient and scalable software-defined network that can provide near-real-time connectivity specifically for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) services. Skynopy’s proprietary orchestration software and virtualized modem technology allow for the effective utilization of existing ground antennas through a single interface. By scaling these capabilities across select Eutelsat ground station sites, the collaboration will enable the infrastructure to serve a broader range of satellite operators while maintaining support for Eutelsat’s internal networks and client base.

“Global AKAR is the alliance of a European champion, Eutelsat, and one of France's most promising start-ups, Skynopy, working hand in hand to offer the best service on the missing element of the space economy: the ground segment. This endeavor embodies the ambition of France 2030: to make our technological excellence and the worldwide reach of our territories a foundation the whole space sector can build on,” said Emmanuel Macron, the President of the French Republic.

Global AKAR’s long-term goal is to utilize Eutelsat’s extensive global network of ground stations to form a data backbone for multi-mission constellations operating in S, X, and Ka-bands. The partnership aims to deploy over 100 operational antennas at designated sites by the conclusion of 2029, facilitating high-throughput, near-real-time service for the rapidly expanding LEO market. The software-defined architecture is intended to significantly lower data latency while providing throughput speeds of up to 10 Gbps.

The project follows an initial phase supported in part by the French government, which demonstrated the technical feasibility of the concept through a three-antenna proof of concept for Earth observation. This same infrastructure is engineered to accommodate a new generation of in-orbit services, allowing satellites to manage data transfers more efficiently and interact with orbital computing resources via secure, high-capacity, and high-throughput connections.