Among the means that helped Ukraine resist the Russian invasion is Starlink, the satellite communication system created by SpaceX, the American company of Elon Musk. It enabled Ukraine to maintain a capacity for communication with its troops and regional administrations.
This strategic nature of satellite communications, which work when all the other systems are shut down, has convinced the Europeans. To never have to depend on a private or foreign operator, the European Union will launch its own constellation, “Iris2”, for “resilience infrastructure and secure interconnection by satellite”.
It will allow him to keep control of his communications even in the event of conflict, cyberattack or natural disaster. It will also be used to cover areas poorly served by terrestrial networks, including high-speed Internet. MEPs approved Tuesday, February 14 by a large majority (603 votes for, 6 against and 39 abstentions) the first tranche of the necessary budget, ie 3 billion euros. A political agreement with the European Council, representing the States, was reached last November.
The third European satellite program
Iris2 will provide an encrypted communications service for all governments and armies on the continent throughout Europe, including the outermost regions (French Polynesia, Greenland, or the Azores, for example). The network will also be used for civil communications, a paying service which will therefore provide another part of the financing, estimated in total at 6 billion euros.
This constellation will include several hundred satellites at different altitudes. It will complement the two other European systems in orbit that already exist: Galileo (intended for geolocation) and Copernicus (dedicated to Earth observation). It aims to be exemplary in terms of light pollution and waste management.
This vote by MEPs will make it possible to launch calls for tenders, then conclude the first contracts by the end of the year. The plan is to launch the first satellites in 2024, so that the system will be operational by 2027, an ambitious goal.