SES and Elveo to build D2D satellites in Europe
What happened
SES and Elveo Mobile said they will set up European manufacturing and a supply chain for Elveo's low-earth-orbit direct-to-device satellites, expanding SES's strategic investment in the company. The satellites will slot into a multi-orbit network combining Elveo's LEO layer with SES's own GEO and MEO fleets for European government, defence and NATO customers. Neither company disclosed a euro figure, a jobs number, or a manufacturing site.
Read-across for SES
This is SES committing capital and industrial footprint, not just cash, to its Elveo bet against AST SpaceMobile and Starlink Direct-to-Cell in the European D2D market. European manufacturing also feeds the sovereign-industrial-base argument SES needs politically for IRIS² and its 2 GHz MSS bid, though no financial figure was disclosed to size the commitment.
As the brief filed it
[AGE: 6h] SES and Elveo Mobile will build direct-to-device LEO satellites in Europe, adding manufacturing and a supply chain to their multi-orbit D2D partnership.