EU signs $11B deal for sovereign satellite constellation to rival Musk’s Starlink

Date:

Share post:


The European Union is forging ahead with plans for a constellation of internet satellites to rival Elon Musk-owned Starlink, after signing a €10.6 billion ($11.1B) deal to launch nearly 300 satellites into low- and medium-Earth orbits by 2030. The bloc wants the space tech to boost its digital sovereignty by providing secure comms to governments.

First announced in 2022, Iris² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) is a public-private partnership whose initial cost estimate (€6 billion) leapt 76% through a fraught negotiation process. In the end, the program will be 61%-funded from the public purse; an industry consortium called SpaceRise, selected in October, is making up the difference. This grouping includes French satellite giant Eutelsat, which merged with European rival OneWeb back in 2022.

Musk’s Starlink, meanwhile, already has some 6,000 satellites in orbit, recently passed 4 million subscribers, and has major deals with the likes of Royal Caribbean and United Airlines. It’s also gearing up to launch a direct-to-phone service with T-Mobile.



Source link

Lisa Holden
Lisa Holden
Lisa Holden is a news writer for LinkDaddy News. She writes health, sport, tech, and more. Some of her favorite topics include the latest trends in fitness and wellness, the best ways to use technology to improve your life, and the latest developments in medical research.

Recent posts

Related articles

Chinese AI company MiniMax releases new models it claims are competitive with the industry’s best

Chinese firms continue to release AI models that rival the capabilities of systems developed by OpenAI and...

Hindenburg Research, a short seller that targeted tech and EV companies, is closing up shop

When Hindenburg Research posts a blog on its website, it often means a company’s final days are...

Reusable rocket startup Stoke raised another massive round: $260M

Y Combinator alum Stoke Space just raised a $260 million series C, bringing its total raised to...

Governments call for spyware regulations in UN Security Council meeting

On Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council held a meeting to discuss the dangers of commercial spyware,...

More teens report using ChatGPT for schoolwork, despite the tech’s faults

Younger Gen Zers are embracing OpenAI’s AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT, for schoolwork, according to a new survey by...

Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S25 on January 22 — here’s what we expect

The biggest reveal from last week’s Samsung CES press conference may well have been another press conference....

Duolingo sees 216% spike in US users learning Chinese amid TikTok ban and move to RedNote

TikTok U.S. users have been learning Chinese on Duolingo in increasing numbers amid their adoption of a...

Meta adds 200 megawatts of solar to its 12 gigawatt renewable portfolio

Meta this week announced that it was buying 200 megawatts of solar energy from multinational electric utility...