A highly-produced video on the EU Space Policy’s website declares: “With Iris², Europe will no longer depend on others for satellite connectivity.”
So does that mean Ukraine could switch off Starlink? No – that wouldn’t be a good idea.
“Users need to think about communications resilience,” Bingen said. “So if something happens to one system, you have other ways to maintain connectivity.”
It’s similar to how mobile phones work, explained Eva Berneke: “If you don’t have 5G, you go back to 4G. And if you don’t have 4G, you might use 3G, so you have multiple networks for resilience. It’s the same idea in warfare.”
But while a phone might not load pictures as quickly on 3G, for a drone operator, it can be deadly: “That is not a nice situation to have to be in when you’re fighting a war.”
Iris² is not the only option. This week, Finnish companies Nokia and ICEYE announced they would look at developing satellite communications for Ukraine’s military defences.
And a joint venture between European satellite makers Airbus, Leonardo and Thales, called Project Bromo, is hoped to be another competitor against SpaceX, but it is still in the very early phases.
Space projects take a long time, Berneke said, and need “a lot of money”.
Designing the programme, making the satellites, launching them and then having enough of them in orbit for full coverage takes many years.
“Even if you gave me €8bn right now, I don’t think I could have anything up there before 2032-2033,” she explained.