By 2030, the European Union plans to launch a constellation of 290 communications satellites into low and medium Earth orbits. This grouping, called IRIS², aims to provide secure communications for government users, private companies and European citizens, as well as provide high-speed Internet in hard-to-reach places. The cost of the public-private project will be €10.6 billion.
Image source: NASA
The multi-orbital constellation Iris² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) is Europe’s third major infrastructure project in space after the Galileo navigation system and the world’s largest Earth observation network Copernicus. It was announced two years ago with a dual purpose: to provide sovereign, secure communications services to EU member states, and to revive the bloc’s flagging space sector with a cutting-edge project.
Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi noted in his report on European competitiveness that Starlink, which provides communications services in more than 100 countries, is “undermining European telecom operators and manufacturers.” Commercial and export sales in the sector have fallen to almost 2009 levels, and the EU now, he said, “lags behind the US in rocket engines and mega-constellations for telecommunications and satellite receivers and applications, the market for which is much larger than other segments of space.”
To implement the adopted program, the SpaceRISE consortium was created, led by European satellite network operators SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat, supported by European satellite communications subcontractors such as Airbus and Deutsche Telekom. The consortium received a 12-year concession contract to develop, deploy and operate the IRIS² constellation. The largest private investor in the new consortium is French satellite operator Eutelsat, which is investing €2 billion in the project with the long-term goal of helping Iris² finance the development of the next generation of OneWeb satellites.
«This forward force will protect our critical infrastructure, connect our most remote areas and increase Europe’s strategic autonomy. Through our partnership with the SpaceRISE consortium, we are demonstrating the power of public-private collaboration to drive innovation and deliver tangible benefits for all Europeans,” said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President for Technology Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.