Ukraine will host first test for Leonardo’s Michelangelo security dome

MILAN — The first field test of Leonardo’s Michelangelo “security dome” architecture will take place in Ukraine by the end of 2026, CEO Roberto Cingolani announced March 12.

Michelangelo, first announced in November 2025, is Leonardo’s proposal for an integrated, multi-domain structure spanning air, land, maritime and space. The system is designed as an interoperable and interconnected architecture combining platforms and sensors aimed at identifying and tracking risks and threats.

During a briefing, Cingolani described the timeline of the project, which includes the launch of Leonardo’s Space Guardian constellation by the end of 2027 and 2028. The constellation is expected to become fully operational in 2029 and to begin integration with other tracking and early-warning constellations starting in 2030.

Space Guardian represents Leonardo’s first proprietary Earth observation constellation. It will consist of 20 multisensor satellites launched in two tranches between the end of 2027 and 2028. The first batch will include nine satellites: six synthetic aperture radar satellites, two very high-resolution optical satellites and one communications satellite equipped with optical intersatellite links. The satellites will be deployed in low Earth orbit at an altitude of 520 km. The constellation will interact with other components of the Michelangelo architecture as well as with European constellation programs such as Copernicus and Italy’s IRIDE and COSMO-SkyMed.

According to Leonardo’s estimates, the dome should “unlock 21 billion euros in new business opportunities in the next decade”, divided into 6 billion by 2026-2030 and 15 billion by 2031-35, and it has been currently evaluated by more than 20 countries, although no more details have been disclosed at the moment. 

Michelangelo is emerging within a broader wave of European initiatives aimed at strengthening air and missile defense capabilities. The European Commission announced in October 2025 plans for a European space shield, an integrated multi-layer air and missile defense architecture designed to be interoperable with NATO and expected to begin deployment in the second quarter of 2026. Similarly, Thales Alenia Space announced on March 11 SkyDefender, a multi-layer, multi-domain integrated air and missile defense system providing “full protection against all types of air threats, on land, at sea and in space.”

While these initiatives could potentially complement each other, it remains unclear whether European and national programs are being coordinated or whether their capabilities may ultimately overlap. Cingolani confirmed there has been no dialogue or agreement between Leonardo and Thales regarding their respective dome initiatives. “Concerning what the others are proposing, including Thales, we don’t know anything,” he said, adding that SkyDefender might be “a French shield based on French platforms.”

“Everybody wants to make a skydome,” he added, “but we went a little bit beyond this. We offer an open architecture that could be compatible with existing domes or non-existing domes. The advantage is that it can be compatible with any other system.”

SkyDefender is also described by Thales in its official press release as an “open and modular architecture, fully compatible with existing air defense systems.”

The emergence of several overlapping European “dome” initiatives also comes as the continent’s space and defense industry enters a period of potential consolidation. Michelangelo’s spacecraft launch largely overlaps with the proposed merger of the space activities of Leonardo, Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space under the BROMO initiative, expected around 2027–2028, and it is not clear yet how Michelangelo and BROMO will interact.

A Leonardo spokesperson explained to SpaceNews that “Michelangelo is a Leonardo led project, and it is somehow part of an already established industrial and technological collaboration in the space sector through Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space, namely the Space Alliance. […] The possible creation of a major European player able to combine and value the expertise of Leonardo, Thales and Airbus will surely strengthen the ability to develop key assets and technologies for Michelangelo.”