Jack Loughran Fri 1 Nov 2024
Collected at: https://eandt.theiet.org/2024/11/01/eu-confirms-which-space-firms-will-build-its-satellite-network-secure-broadband
The European Commission has confirmed it will sign contracts with leading space firms on the continent to build a multi-orbit satellite internet constellation capable of providing broadband internet from space.
The IRIS constellation (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) is currently planned for deployment by 2027 and will compete with other constellations outside of the control of the EU, such as Starlink, OneWeb or Amazon’s forthcoming Kuiper project.
Once deployed, it will provide secure connectivity services to the EU and its member states, as well as broadband connectivity for governmental authorities, private companies and European citizens, while ensuring high-speed internet broadband to cope with connectivity dead zones.
The European Commission said it will contract the SpaceRISE consortium – which includes firms SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat – to develop, deploy and operate the satellite system. The EU has previously committed to contributing €2.4 (£2bn) for the project from 2022 until 2027, while the rest will be privately funded. The total budget to deploy IRIS has not been detailed yet, but reports in the media suggest it will cost anywhere from €6bn-€10bn.
The constellation will ultimately see over 290 satellites being deployed on various orbits, while SpaceRISE will also be building the associated Earth-based services needed to provide governmental services by 2030.
The EU plans for the system to be used to support a large variety of governmental applications including border and maritime surveillance, connection and protection of key infrastructures, as well as security and defence.
IRIS will also be available for use commercially in the transport sector and for smart energy grid management, banking, oversea industrial activities and remote healthcare. In addition to its use for communications, there are plans to use IRIS for space surveillance and to detect high-altitude spy balloons.
Elon Musk’s Starlink has been building up its satellite constellation for several years so it can offer broadband internet services to almost any location on Earth using signals beamed down from one of its 6,281 low-earth orbit satellites. It plans to add thousands more to make the service more robust.
While this is many times greater than that deployed for IRIS, the EU’s constellation will have a much smaller userbase as it is not being targeted at consumers.
In September, researchers warned that radio telescopes could be practically “blinded” by unintended radio waves emitted from the vast constellation of satellites operated by Starlink and others.
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