BELFAST — European officials have agreed to a rollout plan for the continent’s flagship satellite constellation, adding 66 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to the hundreds already envisioned and naming a Spanish firm as prime contractor for ground-based communications and networking.

Altogether, the plan for the European Union’s (EU) answer to SpaceX’s Starlink broadband communications network, called Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS2), is valued in excess of €15.6 billion ($18 billion).

The first satellite launches are slated for 2029, according to HispaSat, part of Spain’s Indra Group, which said it had been selected as the prime contractor for the ground portion of the effort.

The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said in a statement today that the decision to acquire more satellites under the high dollar program, will help “strengthen capabilities” for defense, security and emergency services.

The move will also “increase secure governmental capacity” by 60 percent inside the EU and 54 percent globally, per the statement. The deal is tied to the commission reaching an implementation agreement with the SpaceRise consortium, made up of operators Eutelsat (France), HispaSat (Spain) and SES (Luxembourg).

Other key items that have been finalized, the commission said, include advanced satellite constellation design, preparation related to construction of satellites and secure ground infrastructure, securing launch services, and gradual deployment of operational connectivity services from 2029 onwards.

In a company statement, HispaSat said the budget for the ground-related segment is valued at €1.6 billion ($1.85 billion) and covered antenna infrastructure, control systems and land-based network connectivity across the whole IRIS2 constellation.

HispaSat noted that “all the facilities necessary for the management and operation of the constellation’s various orbital layers, as well as the interconnection with ground networks, which will be located in multiple sites,” are included under the new agreement.

The ground based prime contractor selection means that Indra will be the first Spanish company to take charge of a consortium involved in a major European space-based project.

Additionally, the firm noted it will also lead development of the very low Earth orbit (vLEO) constellation, planned to operate at altitudes below 75 kilometers (466 miles).

The commission’s statement did not make any reference to a vLEO layer, stating only that the multi-sat constellation will comprise of 348 satellites, split between 330 LEO sats and 18 medium Earth orbit units.

The latest developments follow the commission and the SpaceRise consortium inking a 12-year concession contract centered on the founding of a “public-private partnership to enable both governmental and commercial connectivity services by 2030.”

IRIS2 is one of three European space strategy pillars, sitting alongside the Copernicus program for Earth observation, and the Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) effort.

Progress on IRIS2, initiated in 2022, comes as Europe is pushing for, and investing in, what leaders have dubbed “strategic autonomy” in space ― that is, breaking away from the region’s long-standing dependence on the US government and US industry for space technology and services.

“Strategic autonomy starts with independent connectivity. IRIS2 is Europe’s answer to a changing geopolitical reality,” Josef Aschbacher, European Space Agency director, said today in a post on LinkedIn.

Theresa Hitchens contributed to this article from Washington, DC.