PARIS: European satellite player Constellation Technologies & Operations (CTO) is set to fire the starting gun on a bold new telecoms era, with the launch of its first regenerative 5G mmWave payload on 20 June from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The payload—hitching a ride aboard D-Orbit’s Ion platform—aims to prove that ultra-fast, low-latency 5G can be beamed directly from space, using mmWave spectrum already owned by telcos. If successful, it could catapult satellite telecoms into the heart of mainstream connectivity—no cables required.

“This inaugural flight brings our vision to life: a space-based network that’s neutral, carrier-operable, and truly global,” said CTO chief executive Charles Delfieux. “Space is the next frontier for telecom operators.”

Far from a mere science experiment, CTO’s Vleo (very low Earth orbit) constellation project is designed to extend high-performance internet access to rural backwaters, disaster zones, and connectivity dead spots. Its shared infrastructure model sidesteps the need for heavy telco capex, acting as a cost-effective complement to ground-based fibre and cellular systems.

CTO’s pitch is as strategic as it is technological: a European-built, sustainable, and operator-neutral framework that could offer the continent telecom sovereignty in an increasingly contested digital domain.

As launch day approaches, the industry is watching closely. If CTO sticks the landing, it won’t just be a payload going up—it could be terrestrial telcos’ bandwidth ambitions reaching escape velocity.