# Europe expands its Starlink rival to 348 satellites as IRIS² moves into implementation — €15.6 billion network will boost EU government capacity by 60%, with launches starting in 2029

> The European Commission and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an implementation agreement on Friday, August 7, to roll out Europe’s IRIS² satellite constellation, moving the project from the planning and negotiation stage…

- **Source:** [Tom's Hardware](https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/space/europe-expands-its-starlink-rival-to-348-satellites-as-iris2-moves-into-implementation-eur15-6-billion-network-will-boost-eu-government-capacity-by-60-percent-with-launches-starting-in-2029?utm_source=gearopen.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=feed&utm_content=6a79c157c0a95e5aa03a278f)
- **Published:** 2026-08-10
- **Category:** Science
- **Tags:** #satellites #capacity #europe #government #implementation #iris #launches #network
- **Canonical:** http://localhost:4321/a/6a79c157c0a95e5aa03a278f

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