Europe finalizes plans for its 'sovereign' Starlink competitor

The project is adding 66 more satellites to its planned constellation.

The European Commission now has a solid implementation plan for the EU's sovereign IRIS² satellite broadband service, which means it's now past planning stage and is moving towards full-scale deployment. It has just signed an agreement with European manufacturers, the European Space Agency (ESA) and other partners, following negotiations that started in January. Their talks over the past few months allowed them to confirm the detailed design of the constellation, the preparation for the satellites' actual construction, as well as their plans to secure ground infrastructure and launch services. They also finalized IRIS²'s target pricing and private operators' investments.

Partner manufacturers had agreed to make and deliver more satellites than originally planned. Under the agreement, IRIS² will now have a constellation with 348 satellites, adding 66 more than the project originally intended in low Earth orbit. The additional satellites, the ESA says, will strengthen the constellation's capabilities for defense, security and emergency services. "This reinforcement will increase secure governmental capacity by 60 percent within the EU and 54 percent globally, while significantly expanding Europe's ability to support critical missions during crises," the agency's announcement reads. The Commission and its partners are planning to launch the first satellites in the constellation in 2029 and to deploy its services progressively from that same year.

Compared to SpaceX's Starlink constellation, which has more than 10,000 active satellites, IRIS²'s network (as currently planned anyway) is tiny in comparison. But unlike SpaceX, which was intended to be a massive commercial broadband network from the start, IRIS²'s main purpose is to provide a secure and reliable connection for government users in the European Union and other participating countries like Norway and Iceland. Specifically, it's meant for use during critical operations, such as when they're responding to emergencies, for humanitarian aid purposes and for border surveillance. However, it will be available for use to businesses and citizens in the future, as well, in areas where traditional networks don't exist and aren't reliable.