Eutelsat in talks with ISRO for satellite launches, seeks to reduce dependence on Elon Musk's SpaceX

European satellite internet operator Eutelsat is in talks with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for future satellite launches, as the company looks to reduce its dependence on Elon Musk's SpaceX and Europe's Ariane rockets, according to a Reuters report.

Jean-François Fallacher, who took over as Eutelsat's chief executive last June, told Reuters that talks with ISRO are ongoing, though no agreement has been finalised.  

The discussions come against the backdrop of deepening India-France ties across defence, space and maritime security. French President Emmanuel Macron last year called reliance on non-European launch providers "madness," and urged closer collaboration with New Delhi. Fallacher was part of Macron's delegation during a February visit to India, where he met the country'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," Fallacher said. "India is a huge country... so getting market access is strategic."

Eutelsat's existing India connection runs deep. The company merged in 2023 with OneWeb, the London-based satellite internet firm rescued by India's Bharti Enterprises. ISRO had already launched 72 OneWeb satellites aboard its LVM3 rocket before the merger.

Eutelsat lost access to Russia's Soyuz rocket following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, and has since relied primarily on SpaceX and Arianespace. It has also signed a deal with MaiaSpace, a French startup building Europe's first reusable mini-launcher.

The company currently operates 650 satellites and expects to cross 1,000 shortly, Fallacher said. Airbus is building 440 satellites for the group, with further additions planned under the European Union's IRIS² broadband project. Eutelsat estimates the 440-satellite programme will cost around 2 billion euros by 2030, with launches typically accounting for 30-40% of total programme costs.

Fallacher pushed back against comparisons with Starlink's fleet of roughly 10,000 satellites, arguing that altitude makes direct comparisons misleading. "When you are higher in space, you need fewer satellites. As soon as it becomes a limitation, we will order new satellites and grow the constellation," he said.

On the financial front, Fallacher said Eutelsat is fully funded through 2031, following a 5 billion euro ($5.7 billion) refinancing last year that elevated the French state to its largest shareholder. "We will not come back next year or the year after to request additional funding from the market," he said.