Eutelsat’s newly appointed CEO, Jean-François Fallacher, speaking at the Paris Air Show, firmly denied that the satellite operator was in financial difficulties. “Let me correct a misimpression: Eutelsat does not have financial difficulties: No. Eutelsat has a need for financing. There’s a difference,” Fallacher asserted. “We need financing to develop the constellation and continue our […]

With the satellite constellation IRIS2, the European Union wants to improve Europe’s digital infrastructure with modern satellite technology. The project aims to build a powerful, secure and independent communication network. Above all, however, the satellite constellation seeks to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty. Deutsche Telekom has announced it now will support the project with its core […]

Eutelsat has reportedly held talks with investors to raise €1.5 billion to expand its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations as it seeks better to compete with Elon Musk’s satellite-broadband service Starlink. The satellite operator is said to be in discussions to acquire funding from the French government, investor Fonds Strategique de Participations, shipping company […]

The SmallSat Europe conference at the RAI Congress Centre in Amsterdam heard speaker after speaker express anxiety over the planned European IRIS2 mega-constellation. The project, which will eventually bring together low Earth orbit, mid-Earth and geostationary satellites in a global ring of craft with ultra-secure communications, is looking extremely fragile if the event’s speakers are […]

IRIS² is the planned highly-secure satellite mega-constellation being engineered by the European Union and where Europe’s key satellite operators are working together in the SpaceRISE consortium to achieve the flagship scheme. SpaceRISE has issued a statement saying: “At SpaceRISE we are committed to the timely development and implementation of the multi-orbit system, and are delighted […]

Germany has already made it known that it believes the EU-backed IRIS2 mega-constellation of super-secure satellites is too expensive. Now it seems that Italy is also having thoughts about its own satellite fleet. A report in German newspaper Handelsblatt suggests that the German army (Bundeswehr) is backing an alternate orbiting satellite system, and may not […]

SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh, in an interview, has said that despite the recent examples of acquisitions it must move even faster. SES is awaiting regulatory approvals for its purchase of rival Intelsat, and has recently made an investment in Lynk Global which is building a low Earth orbiting fleet of satellites for Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) connections. […]

Declan Ganley, CEO at Rivada Space Networks, told delegates at the recent Satellite 2025 show in Washinton, that in his view the European IRIS2 scheme to build a super-secure satellite constellation is – in effect – “dead in the water”. Ganley was speaking on an expert panel which included Eutelsat’s CEO Eva Berneke. Ganley praised […]

Within minutes of Eutelsat releasing its half-yearly results on February 14th a major sell-off by shareholders occurred, and drove Eutelsat’s share price down to another ‘all time low’ of just €1.39 a share, and a 11.4 per cent fall on the day. A week earlier they were trading at about €1.80. A month ago, they […]

LuxConnect, based in Bettembourg, Luxembourg, has been awarded one of the IRIS² control centres. IRIS2 is Europe’s mega-constellation of satellites and designed to provide ultra-secure communications for government and military purposes. It is managed by three leading European satellite network operators: SES from Luxembourg, Eutelsat from France, and the Spanish Hispasat. IRIS² control centres are […]