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Why is European Union building a $7.3Billion(€6 Billion) Satellite Constellation? SpaceX’s Starlink is expanding to Europe and other countries, but at the same time Starlink competitor list is getting bigger and stronger.
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Chapters :
0:00 – Introduction to SpaceX Starlink
0:42 – Starlink in the UK & Competition with OneWeb
1:35 – European Market & EU’s $7.3 Billion Project
2:39 – Why EU is Building a Starlink Alternative
4:37 – Conclusion
References & Credits :
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-16/europe-wants-its-own-alternative-to-elon-musk-s-starlink-network
https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/elon-musks-starlink-internet-satellite-service-has-been-approved-in-the-uk-and-people-are-already-receiving-their-beta-kits/articleshow/80216576.cms
https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/europe-wants-to-build-its-own-version-of-spacexs-starlink-with-a-7-3-billion-constellation-of-internet-satellites/articleshow/79781148.cms
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55640447
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlink
https://www.oneweb.world/media-center/oneweb-secures-investment-from-softbank-and-hughes-network-systems
Special thanks to : OneWeb, ESA and SpaceX
SpaceX Just completed their 17th Starlink mission which is the first-ever Starlink satellite launch of 2021. At the moment the total number of starlinks in Earth’s lower orbit is around 1000 satellites. This is just a warming up stage for SpaceX as Elon Musk plans to put about 42,000 satellites in the next couple of decades which will fully envelop the planet Earth.
Starlink In the Uk & OneWeb
As of January 2021, the Uk Government(European Country – not part of Eu now after Brexit) has permitted the use of starlinks, and some remote users are already receiving their beta kits which cost about 439 pounds for wifi router & dish ($593) and another 84 pounds($120) monthly for internet service. In the UK Starlink is competing against some local names such as BT Group and OneWeb. One web is aiming to launch hundreds of internet satellites this year alone, and their plans are no different, OneWeb wants to be the top player in Europe and other parts of Asia, especially in India which has a big gap in internet penetration. Their constellation is estimated to contain about 48,000 satellites which is more than Starlinks. Remember OneWeb was almost out of the competition with Spacex Starlinks as they were facing bankruptcy and was saved at the last minute by the UK government and Bharti Global from India.
European Expansion & Europe’s 7.3 Billion Starlink Alternative
By the time you see this video may be more European countries like Germany, Greece and many others would have started using starlinks widely. Same time China is eyeing markets in Europe, America, Africa, and Asia as they are building their constellation of internet satellites and 6G networks. As we talk about, all this competition, and Global market share, European Nations has thought of a different approach, they are planning to build their constellation of telecommunication satellites, a project which is estimated to cost about 6 billion Euros.
A constellation that is mostly a mix of low orbit satellites, and some medium and geostationary satellites that will use quantum encryption, interlinked optical connectors, and multipurpose sensors. Airbus, OHB, Thales, and few other European space companies have been selected by the European Commission to develop a European-owned space-based communication system. This will be very similar to the SpaceX Starlink constellation, which will provide internet in remote areas and allow governments to communicate securely.
Why Europe is Building $7.3 Billion Starlink Alternative
Well, the reasons are many, first of all, Europe as a whole is one of the biggest economies of the world, they have the team, experience and the money to pull off such a project faster and with a great success rate. After the Brexit deal, the biggest Starlink competitor in Europe which is OneWeb a part of the UK Government seems to be beyond Eu’s reach, so developing one of their own, would also make the European Union less dependent on the US & Chinese Satellite technology. Look at the case of the Galileo positioning system, a Satellite navigation system, that was launched by the EU to reduce the EU’s dependency on the US-operated Global Positioning System, to give complete global coverage and for greater accuracy. .