European satellite operator Eutelsat announced on Friday that it has signed an agreement with French aerospace startup MaiaSpace, entrusting the latter with future launch missions for its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. This move represents a significant strategic boost for Europe as it seeks to catch up with its US competitor, SpaceX.

MaiaSpace is a subsidiary of Europe's largest rocket manufacturer, ArianeGroup. The agreement signed between the two parties is a multi-launch deal, with launch missions scheduled to commence in 2027.

Arun Casigian, Chief Engineering Officer of Eutelsat, stated that MaiaSpace will serve as a complementary launch option alongside existing partners.

Eutelsat holds ownership of the company OneWeb, which is currently the only operational LEO satellite constellation globally, aside from Elon Musk's Starlink.

OneWeb is regarded as a critical strategic asset by the French and British governments, both of which are major shareholders of Eutelsat. OneWeb's satellites can provide secure internet access to governments, military, enterprises, and consumers in underserved regions.

French President Emmanuel Macron called last year for Europe to accelerate its space strategy to counter Starlink; he further stated this past Thursday that France would expedite the deployment and application of its own LEO satellite constellation.

MaiaSpace is developing a small, partially reusable launch vehicle. If successful, it would be Europe's first rocket of this type.

Reusable rockets help reduce launch costs while enabling a higher launch frequency.

SpaceX's partially reusable Falcon 9 rocket has been in service for over a decade, and the company is currently testing its upgraded Starship rocket, which is designed to be fully reusable.

The Ariane 6 is Europe's primary heavy-lift launch vehicle, but it lacks reusability. Leveraging its high launch frequency, SpaceX has successfully deployed over 9,000 Starlink satellites.

Eutelsat's recent satellite launch missions have relied on SpaceX and the Indian Space Research Organisation. However, OneWeb's initial batch of satellites were originally launched into orbit by Russian Soyuz rockets; the partnership was terminated following Russia's special military operation against Ukraine in 2022.

Eutelsat acquired OneWeb in 2023 and plans to launch 440 LEO satellites, manufactured by Airbus, over the coming years to supplement and expand its satellite constellation.

MaiaSpace was founded in 2022 and is expected to commence commercial operations in 2026.