Europe expands its Starlink rival to 348 satellites as IRIS² moves into implementation — €15.6 billion network will boost EU government capacity by 60%, with launches starting in 2029

The European Commission and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an implementation agreement on Friday, August 7, to roll out Europe’s IRIS² satellite constellation, moving the project from the planning and negotiation stage into full-scale deployment. According to an official press release, the agreement adds 66 satellites to the planned constellation, bringing the total to 348 — 330 satellites in low Earth orbit and 18 in medium Earth orbit — with first launches targeted for 2029.

The expansion is intended to substantially increase the network’s government and defense capacity. According to the Commission, the revised architecture will provide 60% more secure governmental communications capacity within the EU and 54% more globally. The existing satellites in the baseline constellation will also receive additional functionality and stronger security features, while the 66 new spacecraft will operate in higher low Earth orbit.

IRIS² — short for Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite — is the European Union's flagship secure-connectivity constellation, intended to give European governments an autonomous alternative to foreign networks such as SpaceX's Starlink and Amazon's Leo. The Commission signed a 12-year concession contract for the program in December 2024 with the SpaceRISE consortium — a grouping of European satellite operators SES, Eutelsat, and Hispasat — which is building and operating the system under a public-private partnership alongside manufacturers including Airbus Defense and Space, Thales Alenia Space, OHB, and Aerospacelab.

Once operational, the multi-orbit network will deliver sovereign, encrypted connectivity to authorized governmental users across EU member states and participating non-EU countries, currently Norway and Iceland, for use in emergency response, critical infrastructure protection, and security missions, with capacity also earmarked for citizens in areas with poor coverage.

When the concession contract was signed in December 2024, IRIS² carried a price tag of €10.55 billion ($12.19 billion), funded by the European Union, the European Space Agency, and the SpaceRISE consortium. The accelerated timeline and larger constellation have pushed that figure higher, with the consortium's partners now putting total planned investment above €15.6 billion ($18.03 billion), drawn from the EU budget for 2028–2034, ESA, the consortium partners, and member states. Several countries have already committed, with Poland and Hungary pledging €656 million ($758 million) and €500 million ($578 million), respectively, while Spain has announced between €1.6 and €2 billion ($1.85–2.31 billion).

IRIS² is frequently framed as Europe's answer to Starlink, as they are both satellite constellations aimed at providing connectivity to dead zones. However, the primary purpose of the 348-satellite-strong constellation is more niche. The EU wants an independently controlled communications system — mainly for government and emergency use, but also for civilian applications — that can remain available when terrestrial networks fail, or when access to foreign-operated satellite systems becomes politically or strategically uncertain. On the other hand, Starlink’s growing 10,000-satellite constellation is a mainly commercial, privately owned company selling broadband to consumers worldwide. It is now also running satellite-to-phone internet services through Starlink Mobile.

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