Key Points
- The EU is accelerating the launch of its IRIS2 satellite internet network.
- Initial services are now expected to start in 2029, a year earlier than planned.
- IRIS2 is a response to the dominance of Elon Musk’s Starlink.
- The network will have an encrypted backbone for governments and also provide WiFi to citizens.
The European Union is speeding up its efforts to build its own satellite internet network, with the first services from its IRIS2 constellation now expected to launch a year early, in 2029. The move is a direct response to the growing dominance of Elon Musk’s Starlink and other private satellite networks.
IRIS2, which will consist of 290 satellites, is designed to be Europe’s “sovereign military cloud.” It will have an encrypted backbone for governments and public agencies, but it will also provide high-speed WiFi to European citizens.
The push for a more independent European space industry has been accelerated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing political tensions with the United States. “Europe needs to have its own sovereign military cloud,” said the EU’s defense and space commissioner, Andrius Kubilius.
While the full IRIS2 network is still a few years away, the EU has already launched a smaller, interim system called GOVSATCOM. This connects eight satellites from five different countries to provide some initial communications services to governments and militaries across the 27-member bloc.
“Given all the geopolitical elements, we should speed up,” Kubilius said. “We are quite dependent on American services.”
The EU is still lagging far behind the U.S., and particularly SpaceX, when it comes to satellite launch capabilities. However, individual member states are starting to step up. Germany has committed a massive €35 billion to space defense and is working with France to develop a satellite-based missile early warning system.
The race for control of space is heating up, and Europe is determined not to be left behind.
