Leonardo, the Italian aerospace, defense, and security group, has announced that it will soon launch 38 satellites into orbit for military purposes.
The announcement is part of a strategy by the country and other European Union members that are seeking alternatives to Starlink, the satellite service of Elon Musk.
Most of the investment will come from the Italian Ministry of Defense, which will allocate 580 million euros from the 900 million already earmarked for the project, according to The Wall Street Journal.
In January, Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, was pressured to negotiate a 1.5 billion-dollar deal with Starlink and at the time lamented the lack of “public alternatives” to Musk’s company, according to EuroNews.
As part of the company’s five-year plan, Leonardo’s satellites will be launched between 2027 and 2028, with 18 allocated for use by the Armed Forces and 20 for applications in sectors such as agriculture and infrastructure monitoring.
Photo and video: Leonardo. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
