France and Poland will jointly build a telecommunications satellite for the Polish military, the companies involved in the project announced today, as Paris and Warsaw strengthen their economic and defense ties. Thales Alenia Space, Airbus Defense and Space and Poland's RADMOR will develop a satellite in geostationary orbit to support communications for the Polish armed forces.

The financial size of the deal, announced during a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Gdansk, was not disclosed.

The initiative is part of the European Commission's flagship defence plan Preparedness, which aims to prepare the continent to be able to defend itself by 2030, the companies said.

Europe is seeking alternative, domestic satellite services to reduce its dependence on Starlink, amid growing concerns about how unpredictable its owner, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, can become.

Unlike Starlink satellites in low Earth orbit, a spacecraft in geostationary orbit can cover large areas from a fixed position, 30,000 kilometers from Earth, albeit at a lower speed.

Macron and Tusk also discussed nuclear deterrence, energy issues and the €150 billion SAFE initiative to strengthen European defense. France and Poland, the NATO country with the highest defense spending relative to GDP, signed a cooperation agreement last year that includes a mutual assistance clause and a commitment to deepen their military and technological ties.

In March, Macron said that France, the EU's sole nuclear power, would expand its nuclear arsenal and strengthen deterrence, working with its European partners. "It makes sense to move forward together on missile defense, long-range (missile) capabilities, early warning systems and also to examine everything we can do together in the space sector," the French president told reporters today.