In the race against Elon Musk, the European Commission officially launched their Iris² project on 16 December 2024. It is the third flagship project of the EU in terms of space exploration, preceded by the satellite navigation system Galileo in 2016 and the Copernicus programme launched in 2021.
By 2030, Iris² is supposed to offer secure connectivity services with the help of 290 satellites.
Iris² is managed by three leading European satellite network operators: SES from Luxembourg, Eutelsat from France, and the Spanish Hispasat. Iris ² control centres are expected to be installed in Toulouse, in the Southwest of France, in Fucino in central Italy, and lastly in Bettembourg, Luxembourg.
The LuxConnect location in Bettembourg was chosen to host the primary functions of the control centre. The government also allocated an area of two acres to the maintenance of antennae. LuxConnect will be made responsible for the upkeep of the infrastructures.
In terms of finance, a draft bill for funding outlining a budget of €154 million needed over a period of 25 years, was presented to the Chamber. The amount needed includes a yearly rate of increasing operation costs, estimated at 2.5%. Equally included is the possibility to expand the control centre by 40%.
“The existence of an Iris² control centre in Luxembourg represents an important stepping stone for Luxembourg’s opportunities and economic growth. It favours the encouragement of high-quality competences and attracts academic talents”, emphasises the ministry of economy.
The control centre in Bettembourg is beneficial for the global leader in satellite communications, the Luxembourgish satellite telecommunications network provider (SES). The president and CEO of SES, Adel Al-Saleh, issued a statement expressing pride in the project: “We are proud to have been entrusted this important contract by the European Commission, to be a trustworthy partner during this flagship project which aims to achieve the ambition of a sovereign multi-orbital network, securing the EU’s autonomy of strategic communications.”
The Iris² project is an opportunity to strengthen Luxembourg’s communication ability, as well as its foundation of quantum technologies. Furthermore, it is a strategic decision taken by the government to turn the space sector into a mainstay of diversity supporting Luxembourg’s economy.
The European satellite constellation allows for safe communication in key areas such as defence, the European network of diplomats, crisis management and surveillance, as well as commercial access to the web.
Europe’s Iris² is trying to oppose Elon Musk’s SpaceX, though the latter is considerably ahead with Starlink, which has become one of the biggest global satellite network providers. It remains a competitive market.
Until early 2024, Starlink claimed to have sent over 6,000 satellites into orbit, with the goal to ultimately install 30,000 satellites. The Iris² project enables the European Union’s independence from providers like Starlink (SpaceX) and Kuiper (Amazon).
The budget allocated for Iris² is estimated at €10.6 billion, distributed over the course of 12 years. €6 billion are contributed by the European Union, €4.1 billion by private investments, and the European Space Agency (ESA) contributes the remaining €0.55 billion.
