>The European Union has switched on parts of its homegrown secure satellite communications network for the first time, as part of a €10.6 billion push to provide an alternative to Starlink and wean itself off US support amid growing tensions.
>Elements of the IRIS2 and GOVSATCOM networks began limited operations last week for government and military use, Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said at the European space conference in Brussels on Tuesday. Ukraine has requested access, and provisions to do so are under way, he said.
>“All member states can now have access to sovereign satellite communication. Military and government. Secure and encrypted. Built in Europe — operated in Europe, under European control,” Kubilius said. “Experts are saying it would be better than Starlink. This is our ambition.
>The IRIS2 network will eventually have 290 satellites in multiple orbits. It is scheduled to be fully operational by 2030, serving both private customers and governments, Kubilius said. Luxembourg-based SES SA, France’s Eutelsat SA, and Spain’s Hispasat SA are building the satellites.
>“The geopolitical developments are demanding us to speed up and to give those services,” he said, adding that such systems are a crucial element of so-called “strategic enablers” — high-end military capabilities that Europe leans heavily on the US for.
mariuszmie on
Better late than never
CackleRooster on
Given how Musk turned off Starlink in Ukraine in 2022, this move has been long overdue.
Few-Original-1397 on
That was fast. Been only a few days since Davos.
Holiday_Branch_1534 on
I’m happy for the EU, I hope it completely becomes independent from the US tech
bonqen on
Ye love to see it.
MercantileReptile on
Excellent. Hopefully the day comes soon that the US won’t have any unique capabilities it could use for leverage.
BambaiyyaLadki on
Excellent news! On a technical front, how many satellites do we actually need to provide coverage for all of Europe? 290 seems on the lower end but I ain’t no expert, I’m sure they must’ve chosen this number carefully.
8 commenti
>The European Union has switched on parts of its homegrown secure satellite communications network for the first time, as part of a €10.6 billion push to provide an alternative to Starlink and wean itself off US support amid growing tensions.
>Elements of the IRIS2 and GOVSATCOM networks began limited operations last week for government and military use, Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said at the European space conference in Brussels on Tuesday. Ukraine has requested access, and provisions to do so are under way, he said.
>“All member states can now have access to sovereign satellite communication. Military and government. Secure and encrypted. Built in Europe — operated in Europe, under European control,” Kubilius said. “Experts are saying it would be better than Starlink. This is our ambition.
>The IRIS2 network will eventually have 290 satellites in multiple orbits. It is scheduled to be fully operational by 2030, serving both private customers and governments, Kubilius said. Luxembourg-based SES SA, France’s Eutelsat SA, and Spain’s Hispasat SA are building the satellites.
>“The geopolitical developments are demanding us to speed up and to give those services,” he said, adding that such systems are a crucial element of so-called “strategic enablers” — high-end military capabilities that Europe leans heavily on the US for.
Better late than never
Given how Musk turned off Starlink in Ukraine in 2022, this move has been long overdue.
That was fast. Been only a few days since Davos.
I’m happy for the EU, I hope it completely becomes independent from the US tech
Ye love to see it.
Excellent. Hopefully the day comes soon that the US won’t have any unique capabilities it could use for leverage.
Excellent news! On a technical front, how many satellites do we actually need to provide coverage for all of Europe? 290 seems on the lower end but I ain’t no expert, I’m sure they must’ve chosen this number carefully.