The EU's flagship satellite constellation project officially took off Monday, as the bloc signed a concession contract with a European consortium to develop a secure space-based communication system.

Envisaging a multi-orbital network of almost 300 satellites, Iris² aims to rival US satellite internet service providers such as Elon Musk's Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper.

"This cutting-edge constellation will protect our critical infrastructures, connect our most remote areas and increase Europe's strategic autonomy," said European Commission vice president Henna Virkkunen.

The system, developed as a public-private partnership, will serve both governments and private clients.

With an estimated budget of 10.6 billion euro ($11.1 billion), Iris² is to allow for secure communications for military, defence and diplomatic purposes.

Surveillance, connectivity in natural disaster-hit areas and commercial broadband access are among its other potential uses, according to the European Union.

On Monday, the EU signed a 12-year concession for the implementation of the project with SpaceRISE, a consortium led by France's Eutelsat, Spain's Hispasat and Luxembourg's SES.

Other partners include OHB, Airbus Defence and Space, Telespazio, Deutsche Telekom, Orange and Hisdesat.

The EU's commissioner for defence and space Andrius Kubilius hailed the signing as the launch of "a vision of a stronger, more connected, and more resilient Europe".

"Iris² demonstrates the Union's resolve and commitment to strengthening Europe's space global posture both in terms of security and competitiveness to the benefit of our governments, businesses and citizens," said Kubilius.

More than half of the project's budget will be footed by the EU, with 4.1 billion euros coming from private investment and 550 million euros from the European Space Agency (ESA).

The launch comes as the market for high-speed space connectivity, particularly useful for serving isolated regions, has become ultra-competitive.

Earlier this year, Starlink claimed to have already put more than 6,000 satellites into orbit, serving 2.6 million customers.

While Iris² counts on a lower number of satellites, its multi-orbital design puts it on par with a constellation of about 1,000 Starlink satellites in terms of performance, EU officials said.

Iris² earth-based infrastructure will be located exclusively in Europe with control centres in Luxembourg, France and Italy -- and the system will be fully operational by 2030.

"This programme not only addresses today's connectivity needs but also lays the groundwork for Europe's strategic autonomy in a digitalised world," the bloc said in a statement.

Iris² is the EU's third large space project, after the Galileo satellite navigation system and the Copernicus Earth monitoring satellite constellation.

AFP

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EU kickstarts satellite network to rival Musk's Starlink