Telecoms: The European Union to Launch 300 Satellites

On September 2, 2024, the European Commission received the latest version of Iris², the “European telecommunications constellation” project, which plans to launch 300 satellites. After months of negotiations, this document is expected to be finalized by mid-October 2024, according to its rapporteur, Renew MEP Christophe Grudler.

Iris² has a projected budget of 10.6 billion euros, with 2.6 billion coming from European public funds. The project relies on a complementary combination of satellites in low, medium, and high orbits. It consists of two components: one dedicated to securing state communications, and the other to commercial services.

Iris² aims to ensure the European Union has sovereign control over its satellite communications. “This is vital for our development. We cannot depend on the whims of an American businessman, more or less conservative, more or less unpredictable,” Christophe Grudler pointed out, in a barely veiled reference to Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite communication service, owned by Elon Musk.

Earlier this year, the two main suppliers of Iris² , Airbus and Thales, jeopardized the project by demanding more financial guarantees. To resolve the situation, the telecom operators who will use these satellites agreed to take on most of the financial risks.

The European Commission will also need to finalize, by 2025, the much-anticipated “European Space Law.” Initially scheduled for March 2024, it is included in the mission letter of the new European Commissioner for Defense and Space, Lithuanian Andrius Kubilius. This framework legislation will impose standards for resilience, space debris management, and environmental protection.