EU Launches €10 Billion Space Programme as Alternative to Musk’s Starlink
The European Union has launched an ambitious €10 billion space programme with a group of 290 satellites to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink.
‘This is a significant step towards European sovereignty and secure communications,’ the EU said in a statement.
The network of high and lower power satellites will provide the equivalent of 1,000 satellites in a Starlink-like ‘mega constellation’.
The programme is designed to provide bloc security for governments and armies amid growing global concerns about cybersecurity.
Europe is served by a combination of state-licensed satellite networks that provide coverage from Ireland to Eastern Europe. The networks provide television and internet, as well as security, weather and border surveillance functions.
The UK is not part of the Iris2 project, described as ‘a significant step towards European sovereignty and secure communications’
Officials said that the UK has not submitted any request to participate in the Iris 2 project, which will offer sub-lease of communications capabilities for commercial use as an alternative to Musk's Starlink network.
Under EU rules, a third country can participate by entering into a commercial agreement for surveillance or cybersecurity services with any of the three satellite operators. The operators are Eutelsat, a pan-European network of former telecommunications satellites; SES, a Luxembourg-owned satellite network that provides Sky TV and other television services to the UK; and Hispasat, a Spanish satellite operator.
Third countries are also allowed to become ‘full participants’ in the programme by providing funding.