The chairman of Hungarian operator 4iG, Gellért Jászai, has revealed that he met with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to explore a potential deal involving Starlink and space technologies.
In a LinkedIn post, Jászai said he met with SpaceX’s Senior Vice President for Global Business and Government Affairs, Tim Hughes, along with Hungary’s ambassador to the US, Szabolcs Takács, and the 4iG Space and Defence Technologies team in Washington DC.
He did not provide further details but noted that this meeting followed an earlier discussion between Musk, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, and himself at former US President Donald Trump’s private club, Mar-a-Lago.
At that initial meeting, one of the key topics was 4iG’s HUSAT satellite programme - an initiative the company claims is the first in Central and Eastern Europe to develop satellite-based telecommunications and Earth observation capabilities through private investment.
The company plans to begin producing low-Earth orbit satellites weighing up to 400 kilograms in 2026 at a facility in the Hungarian town of Martonvásár.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Wood & Co analyst Piotr Raciborski commented: “It’s hard to estimate 4iG’s satellite business since we have no knowledge about it. 4iG hasn’t yet provided any guidance on the potential capex, financials, or expected returns from the unit.”
