Eutelsat, Europe’s main
rival to Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink, is in
talks with India’s space agency about future satellite launches
as it seeks to diversify beyond SpaceX and Europe’s Ariane
rockets.
Jean-François Fallacher, CEO of France-based Eutelsat
since last June, told Reuters that negotiations with
the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) were ongoing,
though no deal has yet been reached.
The talks have not previously been reported. ISRO did not
immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
France and India have deepened ties in defence, space, and
maritime security, with New Delhi recently signing contracts for
French fighter jets. Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron
urged the two countries to team up on space, warning that
reliance on non-European providers was “madness”.
Eutelsat merged in 2023 with OneWeb, a London-headquartered
satellite internet startup that had been rescued by Britain and
India’s Bharti.
The combined group lost access to Russia’s Soyuz rocket
after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and has since relied on
Musk’s SpaceX and Ariane rockets. It has also signed a deal with
MaiaSpace, a French startup developing Europe’s first reusable
mini-launcher.
Fallacher said he visited New Delhi in February as part of
Macron’s delegation, meeting India’s telecoms minister and
regulators to discuss market access.
“We are preparing for the future, because launch capacity
needs to be prepared very much in advance,” he said. “India is a
huge country … so getting market access is strategic.”
ISRO launched 72 OneWeb satellites on its LVM3 rocket before
the merger. OneWeb satellites, about the size of a fridge,
provide high-speed internet services to governments and
businesses.
India is repositioning its space programme to shift routine
manufacturing and commercial activity to the private sector
while freeing ISRO to focus on advanced research and
exploration. New Delhi is targeting a domestic space economy
worth about $44 billion by 2033, according to official
estimates.
Eutelsat fully financed through till 2031: CEO
Eutelsat operates 650 satellites and expects to reach more
than 1,000 “very soon”, Fallacher said. Airbus is building 440
satellites, while a long-planned OneWeb upgrade for the European
Union’s IRIS² project will also boost the fleet.
Fallacher dismissed comparisons with Starlink’s network of
10,000 satellites, saying Eutelsat would scale as needed.
“It’s not a question of number of satellites, because when
you are higher in space, you need fewer satellites. As soon as
it’s becoming a limitation, we will order new satellites and we
will grow the constellation,” he said.
The company is fully financed through 2031, he added, after
securing 5 billion euros ($5.7 billion) in a refinancing last
year that made the French state its top shareholder.
“We will not come back next year or the year after to
request additional funding from the market,” Fallacher said.
Eutelsat estimates it will spend around 2 billion euros to
buy and launch its 440 satellites by 2030. Launches typically
account for 30 per cent to 40 per cent of total programme costs.
Published on March 31, 2026
