SpaceX and Elon Musk have significantly claimed the global low-Earth orbit for its thousands of satellite internet to provide a worldwide service but a new consortium backed by the EU is looking to challenge that. This is with the SpaceRISE group which recently received an $11 billion deal from the European Commission to develop the IRIS satellite constellation to expand the service in the region.
Being that this is backed by the EU, it will be the premier satellite internet service for the region which the Commission, the government, private companies, and EU citizens can all take advantage of.
SpaceRISE is EU's Answer to Starlink With new $11B Deal
The European Commission announced that it already inked its concession contract with the group called SpaceRISE — a group made up of Eutelsat, Hispasat, and SES; and supported by the likes of Airbus, Telespazio, and more — to deliver the continent's answer to satellite internet.
The consortium was given a public-private deal that costs north of $11 billion (€10.6 billion) to launch the IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) constellation by the end of the decade.
According to the Commission, this new satellite internet program will deliver fast and reliable connections to underserved areas that struggle from lack of coverage, as well as EU Member States and their governments, private companies, and EU citizens.
SpaceRISE was given a 12-year concession contract to establish this new satellite constellation that will power the entire continent and continue with its operations, with the Commission claiming that future funding will be further evaluated.
IRIS² Satellites Set to Take the Skies by 2030
According to the Commission, SpaceRISE will launch the IRIS² constellation by 2030, and it will deploy a massive 290 satellite internet spacecraft to the medium and low-Earth orbit to provide high-speed internet for all.
That being said, Starlink already controls a massive chunk of the satellite and satellite internet industry as a whole, with Europe's efforts looking to challenge its dominance in space with its very own service.
Satellite Internet is Rapidly Growing
Elon Musk's Starlink is one of the most famous satellite internet services in the world as the company entered the industry at a significantly early time, with the company being considered one of the pioneers of global internet beamed from orbit. SpaceX's Starlink is already slowly reaching the 7,000-satellite milestone that is already deployed to orbitand servicing the global market, including Europe.
Amazon's Kuiper and the AST SpaceMobile are two American companies who already developed their focus on satellite internet for the public to enjoy, but Europe is looking to catch up. That being said, the EU has since ramped up its efforts to develop satellite internet under the IRIS² project, with Italy's Fucino Space Center already announced to be the central hub of the satellite internet program.
There is also the London-based OneWeb which looked to catch up on its rival, Starlink, with its satellite internet operations, but its initial plans failed which led to its relying on SpaceX to make it to orbit. The largest program by Europe in its foray into satellite internet already inked its deal, with SpaceRISE's IRIS² project getting an $11 billion deal that would help their developments and launch come 2030.
