The European Union’s Satellite Plans
The European Union is moving forward with plans to launch nearly 300 satellites into low- and medium-Earth orbits by 2030, with the goal of rivaling Elon Musk-owned Starlink. This €10.6 billion deal is aimed at boosting the bloc’s digital sovereignty and providing secure communications to governments.
Iris² Program Details
The Iris² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) program, announced in 2022, is a public-private partnership that saw its initial cost estimate of €6 billion increase by 76% during negotiations. The program will be primarily funded from the public purse, with an industry consortium called SpaceRise covering the remaining costs. This consortium includes Eutelsat, a French satellite giant that merged with European rival OneWeb in 2022.
Meanwhile, Musk’s Starlink already has 6,000 satellites in orbit, over 4 million subscribers, and partnerships with companies like Royal Caribbean and United Airlines. The company is also preparing to launch a direct-to-phone service in collaboration with T-Mobile.
