EU strikes €10.6 billion deal to launch homegrown Starlink competitor by 2030

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nanoguy

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Why it matters: After two years of negotiations with the private sector, the European Union has signed a deal to develop and operate a homegrown alternative to satellite Internet connectivity solutions like Elon Musk's Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper. While smaller in scale, the IRIS² constellation is expected to spark a competitive web of suppliers for space technologies in Europe.

The European Union has announced it is moving forward with an ambitious space program designed to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink initiative in providing high-speed Internet connectivity to citizens, governments, and businesses in Europe.

Dubbed IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite), the project is an important component of the EU's space program alongside projects like Copernicus and Galileo that cover Earth observation and navigation systems.

IRIS² was first revealed in 2022 as a public-private partnership to build a homegrown encrypted communications network, free of influence from external actors like China or Elon Musk. To that end, the bloc plans to launch nearly 300 satellites into low- and medium-Earth orbits by 2030 in a deal worth €10.6 billion (~ $11.1 billion).

Initially, the project had an estimated cost of €6 billion (~ $6.3 billion), a number that has only crept up during negotiations with the SpaceRISE consortium. Among those entrusted with the implementation of IRIS² are leading satellite operators SES, Hispasat, and Eutelsat, as well as telecom and aerospace companies like Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, and OHB.

As a result of the recent agreement, SpaceRISE has been given a 12-year concession contract to develop, deploy, and operate the IRIS² satellites. The EU along with the European Space Agency will cover approximately 62 percent of the total cost, with the remainder to be paid for through private investments.

The largest private contributor is French satellite operator Eutelsat, pledging no less than €2 billion (~ $2.1 billion) towards Europe's space-based network. The company hopes the IRIS² project will help fund the development of its next-generation OneWeb satellites amid ongoing financial struggles in the face of fierce competition from Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper.

"This cutting-edge constellation will protect our critical infrastructures, connect our most remote areas and increase Europe's strategic autonomy. By partnering with the SpaceRISE consortium, we are demonstrating the power of public-private collaboration to drive innovation and deliver tangible benefits to all Europeans," said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.

With China looking to launch a megaconstellation of 13,000 satellites, experts see efforts like IRIS² as an increasingly important tool against the growing influence of censorship regimes in developing countries. Some argue that building more space-based connectivity could prove useful in scenarios where ground Internet infrastructure is damaged during war.

Meanwhile, critics of the project believe it is little more than a subsidy program in disguise. After all, it's no secret that companies like Luxembourg-based SES, Spain's Hispasat, and France's Eutelsat are interested in using IRIS² as a vehicle for building their own private constellations and securing additional space contracts.

The same could be said of Thales and Airbus, both of which have had to downsize their space divisions. The two companies are even exploring a joint venture to compete with Starlink's relatively cheap low-Earth orbit satellites which have completely changed the market landscape in recent years to the detriment of traditional satellite makers.

The same could be said of Thales and Airbus, both of which have had to downsize their space divisions. The two companies are even exploring a joint venture to compete with Starlink's relatively cheap low-Earth orbit satellites, which have completely changed the market landscape in recent years to the detriment of traditional satellite makers.

Launching the IRIS² satellites is set to begin in 2029 and will require 13 missions that will use Europe's Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket. Barring any delays, the service will be fully operational by the end of 2030.

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EU strikes €10.6 billion deal to launch homegrown Starlink competitor by 2030

 
I wonder where we'll end up with China, Europe and Starlink polluting space with thousands of satellites... and when electronic waste starts falling on our heads who will be responsible.
 
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I wonder how much orbiting Junk the regions where these satellites have to operate can hold?

Is the promise to give economically disadvantaged Europeans access to the internet? How well did that work out for Musk and Company? I can't see this working out any better - unless it is on the European public's tab.
 
WhiteLeaff said:
I wonder where we'll end up with China, Europe and Starlink polluting space with thousands of satellites... and when electronic waste starts falling on our heads who will be responsible.
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wiyosaya said:
I wonder how much orbiting Junk the regions where these satellites have to operate can hold?
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The orbit used by these satellites is unstable, any junk or debris will fall out of the atmosphere and burn up.
wiyosaya said:
Is the promise to give economically disadvantaged Europeans access to the internet? How well did that work out for Musk and Company? I can't see this working out any better - unless it is on the European public's tab.
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It's actually worked out well not just for Musk,but also his customers. Compared tot he garbages that is Viasat or hugesnet, Starlink is far faster, with latency approaching cable tier most times, and far more useful data caps, all while usually ending up cheaper.

I know everyone thinks he's the Big Bad but Musk saw an industry in need of change and has changed it well.
 
Theinsanegamer said:
The orbit used by these satellites is unstable, any junk or debris will fall out of the atmosphere and burn up.

It's actually worked out well not just for Musk,but also his customers. Compared tot he garbages that is Viasat or hugesnet, Starlink is far faster, with latency approaching cable tier most times, and far more useful data caps, all while usually ending up cheaper.

I know everyone thinks he's the Big Bad but Musk saw an industry in need of change and has changed it well.
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Perhaps you are forgetting the promise Musk made? Or is that the thing to do now - just pretend when your hero(s) don't live up to their word that they lived up to their word? Is the "in thing" to do now to enable liars and cheats and people only interested in taking all your money?

As I see it, it is only the customers that can afford the service and the equipment that are happy with it in comparison to other, especially geosynchronous services. There was, as I understand it, a whole class of persons to be served by Musk and Starlink - those who were unable to afford to bring internet into their region. Starlink, is certainly not low-cost to many.

I can tell you one set of people that are not happy with it - Astronomers.
 
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Theinsanegamer said:
The orbit used by these satellites is unstable, any junk or debris will fall out of the atmosphere and burn up.

It's actually worked out well not just for Musk,but also his customers. Compared tot he garbages that is Viasat or hugesnet, Starlink is far faster, with latency approaching cable tier most times, and far more useful data caps, all while usually ending up cheaper.

I know everyone thinks he's the Big Bad but Musk saw an industry in need of change and has changed it well.
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That's not necessarily true



In March 2022, a couple living in the rural town of São Mateus do Sul, Brazil, were shocked to find a 600-kilogram piece of smashed metal lying just 50 metres from their home.

Four months later, two Australian sheep farmers found a strange, black object that appeared to have embedded itself in a field.

Then last week, a farmer in Ituna, Sask., found a similar object in his wheat field.
 
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10 billion Euros for only 290 satellites is absurd. That is roughly what SpaceX has spent launching the ~7,000 Starlink satellites it has up so far, by most estimates. Basically just a giant way to scam the government at that point. If the EU wants a satellite internet service that can get even close to Starlink they will need to get Ariannespace to get off its butt & develop a rocket that can match at least the Falcon 9. Or for that matter, start designing something now that will at least pretend to be competitive with the Starship rocket SpaceX has in active development.
 
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Dreadcthulhu said:
10 billion Euros for only 290 satellites is absurd. That is roughly what SpaceX has spent launching the ~7,000 Starlink satellites it has up so far, by most estimates. Basically just a giant way to scam the government at that point. If the EU wants a satellite internet service that can get even close to Starlink they will need to get Ariannespace to get off its butt & develop a rocket that can match at least the Falcon 9. Or for that matter, start designing something now that will at least pretend to be competitive with the Starship rocket SpaceX has in active development.
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"If you want something screwed up, just let the government do it".
wiyosaya said:
Perhaps you are forgetting the promise Musk made? Or is that the thing to do now - just pretend when your hero(s) don't live up to their word that they lived up to their word? Is the "in thing" to do now to enable liars and cheats and people only interested in taking all your money?

As I see it, it is only the customers that can afford the service and the equipment that are happy with it in comparison to other, especially geosynchronous services. There was, as I understand it, a whole class of persons to be served by Musk and Starlink - those who were unable to afford to bring internet into their region. Starlink, is certainly not low-cost to many.

I can tell you one set of people that are not happy with it - Astronomers.
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You seem to be very angry. Chill man.

Musk promised a more affordable service. News flash, compared to the other options, it IS. dial up is worthless, and other satellite options were only cheaper if you downloaded precisely one (1) cat picture per month. The data overages were insane, with 50-100GB caps and 2000+ms latency. If you actually USE the internet in any capacity, starlink is cheaper. If you only use 50GB a month, then sure hugesnet is cheaper. But that is, what, 0.01% of the possible userbase?

It's interesting you label musk a liar and a cheat, when he actually built the network he promised. Where are the networks that broadband and cable companies were paid hundreds of billions of dollars over the last 30 years at? they were supposed to "serve rural and underserved customers" yet nothing was ever built.
 
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Theinsanegamer said:
It's interesting you label musk a liar and a cheat, when he actually built the network he promised. Where are the networks that broadband and cable companies were paid hundreds of billions of dollars over the last 30 years at? they were supposed to "serve rural and underserved customers" yet nothing was ever built.
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This here - in 2021 the US government allocated $42 billion dollars to help bring internet service to underserved rural Americans as part of the BEAD program, but decided for rather "arbitrary" reasons that Starlink wasn't good enough to receive any of those subsidies. 3 years later and who knows how much spent and not a single house has been connected as part of the BEAD program. Not one. And that is just the most recent in a string of government programs & tax breaks intended to build out internet service to underserved rural areas that have largely been wasted.
 
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Dreadcthulhu said:
This here - in 2021 the US government allocated $42 billion dollars to help bring internet service to underserved rural Americans as part of the BEAD program, but decided for rather "arbitrary" reasons that Starlink wasn't good enough to receive any of those subsidies. 3 years later and who knows how much spent and not a single house has been connected as part of the BEAD program. Not one. And that is just the most recent in a string of government programs & tax breaks intended to build out internet service to underserved rural areas that have largely been wasted.
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See, in a sane or just world, all that money would need to be clawed back and the C suites of these companies would be held on charges of fraud and theft.

I'll throw another one out there: The US government pledged $9 billion to build out EV infrastructure in the US. So far, that has amounted to 7 charging stations. Must has spent less building the ENTIRE US supercharger network. Over 17,000 last count.

I'm noticing a pattern here....
 
I should also note that I completely understand why the European Union would want to make their own communication network that they fully control for national security purposes. I just want them to seriously compete and push technology forward in the space area, and not waste their own taxpayer's money on a joke of a network. Europe certainly has the population, technical skill & industrial base needed to build rockets that are competitive with future Starship launches, they just need to fix their stupid bureaucracy and actually build stuff. To any of the posters here who don't like Ol'Musky being in control of the most advanced rocketship & satellite company on the Earth, get angry at other companies and governments for not even trying to seriously compete, going full sour grapes on SpaceX is not going to help your position.
 
Dreadcthulhu said:
10 billion Euros for only 290 satellites is absurd.
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There is this new company that claims to have far fewer satellites without any limitations. They will be bigger of course. But it is possible that those 300 would cover entire planet and provide reasonable speed.
 
toooooot said:
There is this new company that claims to have far fewer satellites without any limitations. They will be bigger of course. But it is possible that those 300 would cover entire planet and provide reasonable speed.
Click to expand...

Latency is the big issue here; the higher up your satellite goes the more ground they can effectively cover (a single geosync sat can cover nearly half the planet), but the worse the latency gets. Stupid speed of light is not fast enough. And of course even with rather large satellites you only get so much bandwidth per sat; the EU plan above calls for 13 Ariane 6 rockets launches for the 290 satellites, or ~22 per launch. Given the lift capacity of the Ariane 6 that puts the max satellite size at ~1,000 kg per sat. That is only a bit larger than the 800 kg Starlink V2 sats SpaceX is launching regularly now, and smaller than the V3 Starlinks SpaceX will likely be launching by the time this network starts going up.
 
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Dreadcthulhu said:
Latency is the big issue here; the higher up your satellite goes the more ground they can effectively cover (a single geosync sat can cover nearly half the planet), but the worse the latency gets. Stupid speed of light is not fast enough. And of course even with rather large satellites you only get so much bandwidth per sat; the EU plan above calls for 13 Ariane 6 rockets launches for the 290 satellites, or ~22 per launch. Given the lift capacity of the Ariane 6 that puts the max satellite size at ~1,000 kg per sat. That is only a bit larger than the 800 kg Starlink V2 sats SpaceX is launching regularly now, and smaller than the V3 Starlinks SpaceX will likely be launching by the time this network starts going up.
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If they only plan to only cover EU, it will probably be more than enough. EU is tiny compared to the space Starlink covers
 
toooooot said:
If they only plan to only cover EU, it will probably be more than enough. EU is tiny compared to the space Starlink covers
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Outside of satellites in geosync orbit (which have terrible latency), satellites' orbits require that they constantly move relative to the surface of the Earth; they can't just hover over Europe. So only a fraction of those 290 Satellites will be over the EU at any given time. Also, since the EU wants this system for their own national security purposes, they will want it to be usable by the Navies of EU members all over the world, plus since the French are involved they will want the system to cover the French overseas territories, like the French Guiana; French Guiana is where the EU does most of its rocket launches from, is part of the EU as well, and is way down in South America.
 
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WhiteLeaff said:
I wonder where we'll end up with China, Europe and Starlink polluting space with thousands of satellites... and when electronic waste starts falling on our heads who will be responsible.
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The launching entity is owner of and the responsible party for anything in orbit, or falling out of it. NASA was famously fined by a local Australian government for littering after orbital debris fell there.
 
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WhiteLeaff said:
I wonder where we'll end up with China, Europe and Starlink polluting space with thousands of satellites... and when electronic waste starts falling on our heads who will be responsible.
Click to expand...


Yeah, but look at it like this. If some alien came here to attack, they would see all the junk around our planet and think it was some kind of defense shield. LOL
 
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Theinsanegamer said:
See, in a sane or just world, all that money would need to be clawed back and the C suites of these companies would be held on charges of fraud and theft.

I'll throw another one out there: The US government pledged $9 billion to build out EV infrastructure in the US. So far, that has amounted to 7 charging stations. Must has spent less building the ENTIRE US supercharger network. Over 17,000 last count.

I'm noticing a pattern here....
Click to expand...
Oh please. Do you actually own anything remotely like an EV? IIRC, you constantly P&M about EVs and how they are not yet where you want them to be, especially charging stations, and charging speed.

Well, surprise, surprise, I do own something remotely like an EV, a 2024 Prius Prime, and there are far, far, far more charging stations that will accommodate my vehicle than there are Superchargers that only accommodate Teslas. So pat Musk on the back all you want, but there are other companies out there that have built far more EV Charging stations than Musk and his token EV Supercharger network.

And I'm angry? Perhaps you are seeing your own anger at the US Government because you seem to think it does nothing.

If you don't like all the money funneled to companies that then did nothing with it except line their pockets, why not b!tch to your representatives and tell them that they need to hold those companies accountable.

Ah yes. We'll just get rid of the people and staff that might be used to hold those companies accountable and call the government "More Efficient". What a joke. Wait until you need something done and Musk has fired the people who could and would do it for you, then come back and tell me how you still bow before Musk.

And you still don't seem to get it that there are people out there who cannot afford the UPFRONT costs to get into Starlink. To them, it does not matter that their end-use costs will be lower if they cannot afford the equipment that must be purchased BEFORE they can even use Starlink. What don't you understand about that or is that understanding simply beyond your ken?

That's where Musk and his promise fall short and its a logical fallacy to then throw blame on some other thing to make your Hero look like Mother Theresa. Two wrongs don't make a right, or haven't you heard that one before, either?
 
Dreadcthulhu said:
I should also note that I completely understand why the European Union would want to make their own communication network that they fully control for national security purposes. I just want them to seriously compete and push technology forward in the space area, and not waste their own taxpayer's money on a joke of a network. Europe certainly has the population, technical skill & industrial base needed to build rockets that are competitive with future Starship launches, they just need to fix their stupid bureaucracy and actually build stuff. To any of the posters here who don't like Ol'Musky being in control of the most advanced rocketship & satellite company on the Earth, get angry at other companies and governments for not even trying to seriously compete, going full sour grapes on SpaceX is not going to help your position.
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So why aren't these other companies coming forward? The money from NASA is there if they apply for it - I doubt NASA would seriously turn down a proposal especially if it were to come from a company that is in a US Friendly nation.

And the absence of Tech should not be an issue either. NASA has given SpaceX and Blue Origin royalty-free use of all NASA's IP. You seriously don't think that Musky/SpaceX/Bezos/Blue Origin came up with this stuff all on their own, do you?

And just in case you don't know, there are far more companies involved in Artmis than just SpaceX https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-partners/
 
nanoguy said:
Some argue that building more space-based connectivity could prove useful in scenarios where ground Internet infrastructure is damaged during war.
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And when the Zombie Apocalypse finally hits, survivors will still have internet access.
200w.gif
 
wiyosaya said:
Oh please. Do you actually own anything remotely like an EV? IIRC, you constantly P&M about EVs and how they are not yet where you want them to be, especially charging stations, and charging speed.

Well, surprise, surprise, I do own something remotely like an EV, a 2024 Prius Prime, and there are far, far, far more charging stations that will accommodate my vehicle than there are Superchargers that only accommodate Teslas. So pat Musk on the back all you want, but there are other companies out there that have built far more EV Charging stations than Musk and his token EV Supercharger network.
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LOL you are so mad. You own a prime, which is a PHEV, not a full EV. Yeah, when you have a gas backup generator, the charging network is much less of an issue. Something I've pointed out before and stated we should have gone PHEV first, but hey that doesnt fit your narrative. oops.

Also, you are woefully out of date. Clean the spittle off your screen, and google which brands can use superchargers now. Ford, chevy, rivian, and BMW, just to name a few. It's not 2017 anymore. Yes, I continue to point out the woeful status of the US charging network, and how pushing EV adoption when the infrastructure isnt ready is really dumb. I will continue to do so, because it still is.
wiyosaya said:
And I'm angry?
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So, so, so mad!
wiyosaya said:
Perhaps you are seeing your own anger at the US Government because you seem to think it does nothing.
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I dont *think* that, it is demonstrable through the tens of billions the government wastes with nothing to show for it.
wiyosaya said:
If you don't like all the money funneled to companies that then did nothing with it except line their pockets, why not b!tch to your representatives and tell them that they need to hold those companies accountable.
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You assume I dont do that. You would be incorrect.
wiyosaya said:
Ah yes. We'll just get rid of the people and staff that might be used to hold those companies accountable and call the government "More Efficient". What a joke. Wait until you need something done and Musk has fired the people who could and would do it for you, then come back and tell me how you still bow before Musk.
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I dont bow before musk, I point out how ridiculous the hatred that is directed at him is. And if there are people who "hold these companies accountable", then you may as well fire them, they are not doing their jobs at all. See also the BEADS funding. $42 billion, gone, nothing to show for it. Where is the accountability there? Or the billions spent on 7 chargers?

wiyosaya said:
And you still don't seem to get it that there are people out there who cannot afford the UPFRONT costs to get into Starlink. To them, it does not matter that their end-use costs will be lower if they cannot afford the equipment that must be purchased BEFORE they can even use Starlink. What don't you understand about that or is that understanding simply beyond your ken?
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Ah, so your argument has changed again. If you cant save up the $600 for the setup package, when it's been a year+ since the announcement that starlink was coming, you probably have bigger issues and internet access wont help you.

At no point did he promise starlink would be free. Actually, is this why you are so angry at Musk? you cant afford starlink? Is that it?
wiyosaya said:
That's where Musk and his promise fall short and its a logical fallacy to then throw blame on some other thing to make your Hero look like Mother Theresa. Two wrongs don't make a right, or haven't you heard that one before, either?
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Between all this angry criposting, you've yet to define what his promise actually WAS.

TL;DR: LOLMAD, go touch grass. Life is too short to be THIS angry over not getting free stuff.
 
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