BELFAST — European officials have agreed to a rollout plan for the continent’s flagship satellite constellation, adding 66 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to the hundreds already envisioned and naming a Spanish firm as prime contractor for ground-based communications and networking.
Altogether, the plan for the European Union’s (EU) answer to SpaceX’s Starlink broadband communications network, called Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS2), is valued in excess of €15.6 billion ($18 billion).
The first satellite launches are slated for 2029, according to HispaSat, part of Spain’s Indra Group, which said it had been selected as the prime contractor for the ground portion of the effort.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said in a statement today that the decision to acquire more satellites under the high dollar program, will help “strengthen capabilities” for defense, security and emergency services.
The move will also “increase secure governmental capacity” by 60 percent inside the EU and 54 percent globally, per the statement. The deal is tied to the commission reaching an implementation agreement with the SpaceRise consortium, made up of operators Eutelsat (France), HispaSat (Spain) and SES (Luxembourg).
