Europe is launching a Starlink competitor

Europeans will soon be able to bring the WiFi equivalent of a cheetah on remote getaways. The EU yesterday signed contracts with a group of companies to build a constellation of satellites designed to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink network.

The constellation, known as Iris2, is ultimately intended to provide high-speed connectivity for EU citizens and governments, ensuring the bloc’s protection amid increasing global concerns over cybersecurity, The Guardian reports.

• With a price tag of ~$11.1 billion, Iris2 marks the EU’s most ambitious space program in a decade.
• The constellation will consist of ~290 satellites, with the first expected to launch in 2029.

Constellations, a group of satellites working together as a single system, are used to provide high-speed internet and navigation services, among other things. Their biggest benefit is the ability to provide permanent global or near-global coverage (even in remote areas), due to at least one satellite being visible from Earth at all times.

Standing room only: Constellations are on pace to make space more crowded than the bathroom at an NFL game during halftime. SpaceX’s Starlink already has ~7,000 operational satellites in orbit, with designs to launch as many as 42,000 – while China plans to operate 38,000 satellites across its low earth orbit internet projects. Amazon is also working to launch a constellation.

🖐️ But…This has astronomers concerned. Many warn the sheer number of satellites in orbit could impact visibility and affect their observations.