European satellite companies to build Starlink competitor. IRIS² will beam internet from space.

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European satellite companies to build Starlink competitor

IRIS² will beam internet from space

Foto: IRIS²

Several European space and satellite companies have now agreed to build a satellite-based network that will provide internet connectivity to the Earth, similar to SpaceX Starlink, Amazon's Project Kuiper, and the UK's OneWeb.

IRIS² consortium formed by five space and satellite companies

The EU has been interested in building a Starlink competitor since 2020, and now Airbus Defence and Space, Eutelsat, Hispasat, SES, and Thales Alenia Space have come together to create the satellite network IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite). In addition to the five companies mentioned above, Deutsche Telekom, OHB, Orange, Hisdesat, Telespazio, and Thales will also help build IRIS². The IRIS² consortium also hopes that other European companies will join the collaboration as it progresses.

The cost of building IRIS² is estimated at 6 billion euros

The cost of building IRIS² is estimated to be 6 billion euros, of which the EU will contribute 2.4 billion euros. Further specifications on what the network will look like, how many satellites it will include, and which areas it will cover are still missing. However, the hope seems to be that IRIS² will be operational sometime in 2027.

businesswire.com

Internet,

IRIS² consortium, Airbus Defence and Space, Eutelsat

Via arstechnica.com

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