Poland commits €656m to EU satellite rival to Starlink

Poland has committed €656 million to the IRIS² programme, a European Union initiative to build a secure satellite internet network as an alternative to Elon Musk’s Starlink. The funding, drawn from Poland’s post-pandemic recovery allocation, was signed off in Warsaw on Tuesday.

The project aims to deploy nearly 300 satellites in low and medium Earth orbit by 2030, providing encrypted, interference-resistant communications for governments, defence agencies and emergency services across the bloc. With a total price tag of €10.6 billion—split between €6.5 billion in public funding and €4 billion in private capital—IRIS² is the centrepiece of EU efforts to reduce reliance on non-European operators. “It is super important for Europe to have a sovereign capacity, and Starlink will never do that,” said Eva Berneke, CEO of Eutelsat, one of the companies involved.

For Warsaw, the investment is as much an industrial play as a security measure. In exchange for its €656 million, Poland will finance six large and six smaller satellites, while domestic firms gain eligibility to compete for manufacturing and software contracts. The interior ministry estimates each zloty invested will generate a five-zloty return through new jobs and domestic technology development.

Poland will also construct a ground gateway station in Warsaw, linking the constellation directly to GovNet, the country’s secure government fibre-optic network. Once operational, the system will serve as a critical backup for police, border guards and emergency services during natural disasters or power outages when terrestrial networks fail. Civilian emergency hotspots will also be possible.

The move underscores Poland’s growing role in European defence, particularly on the eastern flank. “This is a big day for Poland, the eastern flank and the entire European Union,” said Andrius Kubilius, the EU’s defence and space commissioner. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński noted that no single country could build such a constellation efficiently alone, adding that the project would “ensure our security and strategic independence”.

The IRIS² commitment is the latest step in Poland’s rapid expansion as a space-faring nation. Last week, the European Space Agency announced it would open a new security centre in Warsaw, its first outside its 11 founding member states. Poland launched its first national military satellite last year, while Polish firm Creotech Instruments signed a €52 million deal with the ESA to build an Earth observation constellation.