The European Union has outlined a space program with a constellation of 290 satellites that will rival Elon Musk's Starlink service.
In an announcement, the European Commission said it has signed the concession contract for the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²), with the SpaceRISE consortium.
The SpaceRISE consortium is made up of a number of satellite players, including SES, Eutelsat SA, and Hispasat SA.
A number of key partners were also named, including Thales Alenia Space, OHB, Airbus Defence and Space, Telespazio, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Hisdesat, and Thales SIX.
The EU previously secured a €6 billion ($6.3bn) deal to develop its own satellite Internet system back in 2022, when the bloc said it was aiming to have the system up and running by 2027. The date is now set for two years later, in 2029.
According to the EC, the partnership will develop, deploy, and operate the European Union's new system. The Commission said it is a "significant step towards Europe's sovereignty and secure connectivity."
The satellite operators, EC, and European Space Agency (ESA) have agreed to develop the IRIS2 constellation under a 12-year contract, expected to launch in 2029.
In total, the budget for IRIS² is €10.6bn ($11.1bn), with €6.5bn ($6.82bn) coming from public funding, which includes €550 million ($525m) from ESA’s Partnership Projects program. The rest of the funding, slightly more than €4bn ($4.2bn), will be funded by the SpaceRISE consortium.
The constellation will be launched on European rockets, confirmed the ESA.
"IRIS² is not just a technological achievement—it is a testament to Europe’s ambition and unity," said Henna Virkkunen, executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security, and democracy.
"This cutting-edge constellation will protect our critical infrastructures, connect our most remote areas, and increase Europe’s strategic autonomy. By partnering with the SpaceRISE consortium, we are demonstrating the power of public-private collaboration to drive innovation and deliver tangible benefits to all Europeans."
The constellation will be multi-orbit, spanning both Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO).
LEO satellites will provide low latency, while MEO will dish out wider coverage. The ESA noted that an additional layer in Low LEO providing further services will also be developed and launched.
“Working with our partners at the European Commission and SpaceRISE, we are proud to support the development, qualification, and in-orbit validation of the next EU flagship program for space," added Laurent Jaffart, ESA’s director of connectivity and secure communications.
"Through ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications directorate, we will leverage decades of experience in developing and implementing space programs with Industry. We look forward to carrying forward the implementation of the program hand-in-hand with the colleagues from the European Commission."
The constellation will rival Musk's Starlink constellation, which has significantly grown in recent years.
Starlink's parent company SpaceX won approval last month from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide satellite coverage directly to mobile devices through its Starlink service in the US.
At present, SpaceX's constellation is made up of around 7,000 LEO satellites. The company has ambitions to grow this between 12,000 to as much as 42,000.