BrusselsContracts worth €5.4 billion secure EU satellites.

The deal aims to end EU dependence on Starlink for military and crisis communications.

Ukraine’s reliance on Starlink showed one company can control a state’s wartime communications.

Airbus delivers the first 66 satellites by 2029, with the full 330 launching from 2030.

How each outlet framed it
European Spaceflight
details IRIS2 contract split: Aerospacelab €2.4B (264 platforms), Airbus builds first 66 (2029), Thales handles gov payloads

Sources: European Spaceflight