EU commits to contesting Musk's dominance with Starlink, reports say.
A €10 billion satellite constellation project has been officially agreed upon, as announced by the SpaceRISE consortium. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
A contract has been signed for a €10 billion satellite constellation project, announced by a consortium.
The European Commission, alongside a consortium of three EU companies, revealed that they have secured a contract exceeding €10 billion to create a new satellite network. This initiative is designed to serve as a European alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink, according to Bloomberg.
This announcement was made on Monday by the SpaceRISE consortium, which includes French satellite operator Eutelsat, Spain’s Hispasat, and Luxembourg-based operator SES.
The project, named IRIS2, aims to “enable Europe’s strategic communications autonomy,” as stated by SpaceRISE. With a planned network of 290 satellites, the system is expected to be fully operational by 2030, providing internet services to government and military entities as well as private customers.
The European Union is investing €6 billion in the project, while the consortium is contributing €4.1 billion, with an additional €550 million from the European Space Agency.
“There is this narrative in the industry that Starlink has won and everybody else is dead, right? That’s not true,” Bloomberg cited SES Chief Executive Officer Adel Al-Saleh as saying.
Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s new defense and space commissioner, praised the contract signing as “a major step forward” for EU security. He emphasized that Europe is “under threat in many ways,” according to Bloomberg.
“In times of war, we can’t afford to lose connectivity,” he remarked. Kubilius, who is a former Lithuanian prime minister, has raised concerns about a Russian threat and advocated for significantly increased defense investments, as reported by PMG in November.
Germany has raised concerns regarding the cost of the IRIS2 plans. In May, Economy Minister and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck criticized the project’s expense as “exorbitant” and called for a delay in its implementation.
Industry experts cited by PMG have warned that the project may be overly costly and could risk becoming obsolete in comparison to SpaceX’s network. Starlink currently operates over 6,000 satellites and provides internet access in approximately 100 countries.
Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency, noted previously that despite tight budgets, the EU must continue efforts to develop an encrypted communication satellite system.
IRIS2 represents the EU’s third major space initiative, following the Galileo satellite navigation system and the Copernicus Earth monitoring satellite constellation.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
The European Commission, alongside a consortium of three EU companies, revealed that they have secured a contract exceeding €10 billion to create a new satellite network. This initiative is designed to serve as a European alternative to Elon Musk's Starlink, according to Bloomberg.
This announcement was made on Monday by the SpaceRISE consortium, which includes French satellite operator Eutelsat, Spain’s Hispasat, and Luxembourg-based operator SES.
The project, named IRIS2, aims to “enable Europe’s strategic communications autonomy,” as stated by SpaceRISE. With a planned network of 290 satellites, the system is expected to be fully operational by 2030, providing internet services to government and military entities as well as private customers.
The European Union is investing €6 billion in the project, while the consortium is contributing €4.1 billion, with an additional €550 million from the European Space Agency.
“There is this narrative in the industry that Starlink has won and everybody else is dead, right? That’s not true,” Bloomberg cited SES Chief Executive Officer Adel Al-Saleh as saying.
Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s new defense and space commissioner, praised the contract signing as “a major step forward” for EU security. He emphasized that Europe is “under threat in many ways,” according to Bloomberg.
“In times of war, we can’t afford to lose connectivity,” he remarked. Kubilius, who is a former Lithuanian prime minister, has raised concerns about a Russian threat and advocated for significantly increased defense investments, as reported by PMG in November.
Germany has raised concerns regarding the cost of the IRIS2 plans. In May, Economy Minister and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck criticized the project’s expense as “exorbitant” and called for a delay in its implementation.
Industry experts cited by PMG have warned that the project may be overly costly and could risk becoming obsolete in comparison to SpaceX’s network. Starlink currently operates over 6,000 satellites and provides internet access in approximately 100 countries.
Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency, noted previously that despite tight budgets, the EU must continue efforts to develop an encrypted communication satellite system.
IRIS2 represents the EU’s third major space initiative, following the Galileo satellite navigation system and the Copernicus Earth monitoring satellite constellation.
Max Fischer for TROIB News
