the European constellation which was worth 10.6 billion euros

Around 10.6 billion euros. Perhaps even up to 11 billion… This is the cost estimated to date for the development, manufacturing and launch of the satellites of the future European constellation, called IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and satellite security) within the framework of a public private partnership (PPP). Much more modest in number of satellites than Elon Musk's constellation, Starlink (up to 42,000) and Amazon's, Kuiper (3,236), IRIS² will be made up of 282 satellites, including 264 in low Earth orbit known as LEO. (between 200 and 2,000 kilometers) and 18 on the average Earth orbit called MEO (between 2,000 and 36,000 km).

Regarding the cost of the constellation, the European public authorities (European Union and European Space Agency) finance more than 60% of the constellation (i.e. more than 6.3 billion euros) while the three operators united in the SpaceRISE consortium ( Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat) will invest around four billion euros, including nearly two billion put on the table by Eutelsat. Through France 2030, Paris, which supported this European project against all odds, will for its part finance the European constellation to the tune of approximately 300 million euros.

A constellation put into service in 2030/2031

Finally launched by the European Commission, the European constellation will be put into service at the end of 2030 or the beginning of 2031 in an extremely crowded market. Either after the American constellations (Starlink and Kuiper, whose first satellites were launched) and the Chinese Thousand Sails (G60), which is developed by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology. Two other Chinese constellation projects (Honghu-3 and Guowang) have also been launched. The three IRIS² operators plan to launch the first satellites approximately two years before the constellation comes into service.

Launched into LEO orbit, the first satellites in the European constellation should have a lifespan of eight to ten years. It will depend on advances in battery technology. Heavier, MEO satellites should last longer.