IRIS2 will be used by governments and emergency services to respond during emergencies, the bloc said.
Europe is strengthening its sovereign space capabilities with 66 new satellites as part of a new flagship constellation in collaboration with a consortium consisting of Airbus, Deutsche Telekom and Eutelsat.
The new additions will bring the upcoming IRIS2 constellation to 348 satellites and boost secure governmental capacity by 60pc in the EU. First launches are scheduled to begin by 2029.
The constellation will help the EU reduce its reliance on US space-tech – dominated by SpaceX’s Starlink services – enabling emergency services across the bloc to respond to crises and protect essential infrastructure using its own systems. The expanded system will also offer business opportunities for commercial users, the Commission said.
IRIS2 is targeting a budget of more than €15.6bn, drawing additional funding for the expansion through its upcoming budget, as well as from member states and other countries. Poland and Hungry have committed more than €1bn collectively, while Spain has announced funds of between €1.6bn and €2bn alone.
The SpaceRISE consortium is spending €4bn collectively, including €1.6bn from Hispasat for ground stations and €1.35bn from the Luxembourg-based SES. Eutelsat will contribute €2.23bn in shared infrastructure for IRIS2 and a further €1.16bn in commercial infrastructure.
The future multi-orbit system will consist of 330 satellites in low Earth orbit and 18 in medium Earth orbit.
IRIS2 will be built in collaboration with the Commission, member states, the European Space Agency and SpaceRISE, and give opportunity for start-ups and SMEs across the region to participate in its production, the EU said.
The Commission has been making numerous attempts to nurture the burgeoning space industry in the bloc. It recently announced €300m to the Finnish space intelligence start-up Iceye via its new Scaleup Europe Fund which channels funds and support to high-potential deep-tech companies.
Iceye claims to own the world’s largest and most advanced synthetic aperture radar satellite constellation, and provides continuous monitoring capabilities to its customers in defence, intelligence, environmental monitoring, insurance and emergency management.
Reports have also placed the new fund behind the Bavarian space-tech The Exploration Company in its upcoming $300m funding round.
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