The European Union has committed to building a €10.6 billion constellation of satellites by 2030. This will be an alternative to Elon Muskʼs Starlink satellites, providing the bloc with an independent, encrypted connection to the internet.
This is reported by Bloomberg.
On Monday, December 16, the European Union signed a contract to begin work on a multi-orbit network of 290 IRIS2 satellites, which it expects to serve European governments and the military, as well as private customers.
The EU order will be fulfilled by Luxembourg company SES SA, Franceʼs Eutelsat SA, and Spainʼs Hispasat SA.
These firms will be able to sell some of their services to commercial clients, and a European Commission representative said that about half of the capacity will be directed specifically to government activities.
The bloc will invest €6 billion in the project, companies will contribute €4.1 billion, and the European Space Agency will provide €550 million. The contract is designed for 12 years, and part of the EU investment will depend on the position of the blocʼs members.
The new EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, said it was an "important step forward" for the blocʼs security and defence. He also said Europe was under threat, in particular from Russian jamming of navigation signals.
"In times of war, we cannot afford to lose connection," he said.
The fact that Elon Musk has become an advisor in the new administration of Donald Trump raises additional questions about how this could affect the work of Starlink, writes Bloomberg.
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