Europe’s $3.1B satellite merger won’t rival Musk’s Starlink

The race for satellite internet leadership in Europe is heating up as SES, a Luxembourg-based company, plans to acquire Intelsat for $3.1 billion, potentially becoming Europe's second-largest player after Eutelsat. If approved by EU officials by June 10, this merger could strengthen competition against Elon Musk's Starlink, which dominates the market with over 7,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO). However, SES faces challenges due to reliance on third-party launchers and a lack of in-house manufacturing capacity compared to Starlink. Despite the strategic significance of space tech for Europe's autonomy, this merger alone may not fully challenge Starlink's dominance.