Italy’s plan to buy Starlink data deals a serious blow to European space network
The Italian government is considering the purchase of satellite Internet services from SpaceX's Starlink constellation, and the potential deal has triggered controversy along political, economic, and spaceflight lines in Europe.
The story was initially broken by Bloomberg on Sunday, which reported that Italy is in "advanced talks" with SpaceX to purchase $1.6 billion worth of secure telecommunication services from SpaceX. The publication said an agreement, for which talks began in mid-2023, had been stalled until Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited President-elect Donald Trump in Florida recently.
This report set off a firestorm of responses that highlight the increasing sensitivity of European countries to partnering with SpaceX—the success of which has put serious pressure on Europe's launch industry—as well as the Trump administration and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
On Monday, the Italian government issued a statement that denied any contracts have been signed for Starlink satellite services, which include secure broadband Internet and other communications from thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit. The government statement went further, "categorically" denying that SpaceX was discussed during Meloni's meeting with Trump. However, the Italian government acknowledged that it was conducting talks with SpaceX.
