Europe’s sovereign Starlink rival just went from plan to deployment

On 7 August, the European Commission and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an implementation agreement for IRIS², the EU’s sovereign satellite network, pushing it from planning into full-scale deployment, the European Space Agency said. Negotiations that began in January, known as Rendez-vous 1, are now done. The first launches will come in 2029.

The constellation also grew. Manufacturers agreed to build 66 more satellites than planned, taking IRIS² to 348 in all, Engadget reported. The extra craft will serve defence, security and emergency services, part of the same push as Europe rearms. The Commission says they lift secure government capacity by 60% inside the EU.

Tiny next to Starlink, and that is the point

Set against SpaceX’s Starlink, which flies more than 10,000 active satellites, 348 looks trivial. But IRIS² is not chasing consumer broadband. Its job is secure, encrypted connectivity for governments, armed forces and emergency teams, the sort of link a state wants when ground networks fail or a crisis hits.

That is the sovereignty argument. Europe would rather not have its officials, border patrols and disaster crews leaning on a single American constellation run by one billionaire. Amazon is building its own too. IRIS² is the network the EU owns and controls, open to members plus Norway and Iceland.

Who builds it, and who pays

The work is split across a European team. The SpaceRISE consortium, Eutelsat, SES and Spain’s Hispasat, runs it, with Airbus Defence and Space, Thales Alenia Space, OHB and Aerospacelab building the hardware. Eutelsat leads the low-orbit layer, investing about €3.4bn for more than twice its current OneWeb capacity.

SES leads the medium-orbit layer, committing up to €1.35bn for 18 satellites. Hispasat, part of Indra, won a €1.6bn role overseeing antennas, control systems and ground links. Member states are topping up: Poland has pledged €656m, Hungary €500m, and Spain as much as €2bn.

The bill is heavy and the timeline long. The wider programme runs past €15.6bn, first service is not due until 2030, and full commercial operation waits until about 2032. Both Eutelsat and SES have spent the past year under financial strain, so hitting the schedule is far from certain.

Still, the direction is clear. After years of watching Starlink blanket the sky, Europe has committed to putting up its own, smaller, sovereign answer. The question is no longer whether it wants one, but whether it can build it on time.