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The EU’s answer to Starlink moves one step closer to launch
Copyright European Space Agency
By Indrabati Lahiri
Published on 10/08/2026 – 14:45 GMT+2
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Rising geopolitcal volatility and conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine and Middle East war have made it crucial for Europe to invest heavily in its own home-grown satellite network.
The European Union’s attempt to launch its own satellite program have achieved a significant milestone.
The SpaceRISE consortium and the European Commission have now joined forces, signing an implementation agreement for IRIS².
This will be the EU’s flagship secure satellite programme, which will provide government-backed and encrypted communication services for EU institutions, critical infrastructure and emergency responders. It will also provide quantum-secured defence layers and high-reliability routing.
This move comes as several industries continue to rely on Starlink significantly for services like airplane Wi-Fi and drone operations in Ukraine. This could potentially allow the EU to benefit considerably from having its own domestic satellite programme to counter Starlink’s widespread influence.
The recent agreement adds another 66 satellites to the programme, bringing the total number 348. Out of these, 330 will be in Low Earth Orbit and 18 will be in Medium Earth Orbit.
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The programme’s first launches are expected to begin in 2029, on a progressive basis.
Its primary users will be European governments and key players from surveillance, defence operations, and critical commercial sectors like transport and energy.
A European satellite network
Rising geopolitical volatility and ongoing conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine and Middle Eastern wars in recent years have made it crucial for Europe to invest more in digital sovereignty and domestic resilience.
As such, instead of trying to be yet another consumer broadband service, like Starlink attempting to compete with networks like T-Mobile and AT&T, IRIS² is built for defence, governments, critical services and security users.
These are the industries that can best help the continent build true resilience. This is particularly important during times of conflict or natural disasters, when cell towers and internet services can be impacted, leaving satellite connectivity the only real option for communication.
However, overreliance on Starlink, or any other foreign company can also cause a host of geopolitical and governance issues for the EU. This is especially following rising EU-US tariff and other tensions in recent years, following the second Trump administration.
SpaceRISE’s members Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat will work with domestic manufacturers on the satellites and ground infrastructure for IRIS², while the European Space Agency will take care of the technical development and validation.
