Space is the New Frontline
The battlefield is no longer just land, sea, or air
- it’s now cyber, space, and information too. From drones in NATO airspace to satellites under attack, every domain is contested.
The New Theatre of Conflict 🛰
Not science fiction, today’s operating picture.
This week, 19 hostile drones crossed NATO airspace in Poland, forcing a high-end response and temporarily grounding civilian flights. It’s a stark reminder that cheap UAV swarms and electronic warfare (EW) are reshaping deterrence and airspace safety across Europe.
Meanwhile, GPS interference in the Baltic corridor has disrupted an estimated 123,000 flights this year. Even EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was affected when suspected jamming disrupted her flight proof that PNT (positioning, navigation, timing) is now a contested domain.
In Ukraine, Starlink remains both vital and vulnerable. A July outage and ongoing EW attacks show why Europe must invest in multi-layer satcom, diversified ground segments, and rapid failover architectures.
Policy is catching up: the proposed EU Space Act embeds resilience and cybersecurity at the heart of European space operations setting new standards for commercial constellations serving defence and security users.
🎙️ Inside Episode 1: Tech Command Investing
In Episode 1, I speak with Chris Moore CBE (then VP Defence & Security & CISO at Eutelsat OneWeb, and former Air Vice-Marshal) about what satellite communications mean for governments, investors, and national security leaders.
Fresh takeaways for decision-makers:
From single network to portfolio of networks: Build redundancy by design across LEO/MEO/GEO + terrestrial mesh.
Harden the ground first: Prioritise secure gateways, key management, and segmented mission control.
reat PNT as a weapon system: Invest in anti-jam/anti-spoof, alt-PNT, and smart receiver fusion.
Direct-to-Device (D2D): From 2026, AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBirds will beam broadband direct to smartphones with battlefield + consumer disruption ahead. Starlink remains the closest competitor.
Procurement shift: From decade-long programmes to software-led resilience, with SLAs tailored for contested environments.
Why This Matters to LPs & Sovereign Stakeholders
Three overlapping disruptions
1️⃣ The rise of new domains (space, cyber, information),
2️⃣ Cost compression from commercial tech, and
3️⃣ Digitisation of the battlespace —
…are creating outsized opportunities for dual-use founders.
This is a once-in-decades opportunity in DefenceTech.
At Karista, we’re raising Tech II, a new fund focused on Space • Defence • Security (including Cybersecurity) backing European dual-use champions built for this moment.
Closing
The space domain isn’t tomorrow’s fight it’s today’s frontline. Nations, investors, and innovators who move now will define the next era of deterrence, security, and connectivity.

🎧 Listen now:
[Amazon Music] | [Spotify] | [Apple Podcasts] | [YouTube] | [Audible]