spacetoday.net: EU moves forward with satellite broadband constellation

Posted: Sun, Nov 3, 2024, 10:02 AM ET (1502 GMT)
The European Commission has approved a long-delayed plan to develop a satellite broadband constellation. The commission announced Thursday it accepted a best-and-final offer submitted by the SpaceRISE consortium, led by satellite operators SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat, for the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS2) constellation. A contract for designing and operating more than 290 satellites by 2030 to support government communications remains subject to final negotiations, which are slated to conclude before the end of this year. The total cost of IRIS2 remains uncertain, but may significantly exceed original projections of six billion euros ($6.5 billion).