EU may offer Ukraine IRIS² instead of Starlink, but not before 2030 - European Commission
The European space communications system IRIS² could replace Starlink, which the Ukrainian military uses on the battlefield. However, this system will be launched only in 2030.
This was stated by the spokesperson for the European Commission, Toma Renier, during a briefing in Brussels,Ukrinform reports, Censor.NET reports.
"When it comes to the possible replacement of Starlink, a similar European IRIS² system will be operational in 2030. Until then, we offer alternative solutions within the framework of the GovSatCom (Government Satellite Communications) program, which pools and utilizes existing satellite capabilities of EU member states. Ukraine has expressed interest in taking advantage of GovSatCom, and we are currently considering this request," said the European Commission spokesperson.
The GovSatCom system involves the use of existing space capabilities of countries such as France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and others participating in this project.
It is noted that the new system should start working this year, but Ukraine's involvement in this project has yet to be agreed upon between the European participating countries.
At the same time, Rainier noted that only the deployment of the IRIS² satellite system can provide the potential to solve operational problems similar to those currently being solved in Ukraine with the help of Starlink.
