| Country/ies of origin | European Union |
|---|---|
| Operator(s) | EUSPA,ESA |
| Type | broadbandsatellite internet constellation |
| Status | Under development |
| Coverage | Global |
| Constellation size | |
| Nominal satellites | A few hundred, up to 290[1]LEO andMEO satellites |
| Current usable satellites | None |
| First launch | 2025 (expected) |
| Other details | |
| Cost | €10.5 billion |
| Website | defence-industry-space |
IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) is a planned multi-orbitsatellite internet constellation to be deployed by theEuropean Union by 2027.[2][3][4][5] Initial government services are expected to start in 2030.[6] IRIS² will consist of 264 satellites inlow Earth orbit (LEO), at an altitude of 1,200 km, and 18 satellites inmedium Earth orbit (MEO), at 8,000 km.[7]
It is intended to provide secure communications, location tracking and security surveillance services to governmental agencies[8] directly comparable to the USSpaceX Starshield project.[9] The system aims to also provide broadband for private companies and citizens.[1] At contract signing in December 2024, the estimated cost was €10.5 billion, of which €6.5 was public funds.[10]
IRIS² is part of the EU's overall space strategy, including theEU Space Strategy for Security and Defence.[11] TheEuropean Space Agency (ESA) is responsible for development and deployment of the system and theEuropean Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) is responsible for the governmental service provision.[12]
The project was announced by theCouncil of the EU in November 2022.[2] A single multi-national industrial consortium, includingAirbus Defence and Space,Thales Alenia Space andArianespace among others, was tasked to develop it.[13][14] The constellation is expected to be launched by European rockets such asAriane 6. The latter's first launch, initially scheduled for the end of the year 2022, was delayed several times,[15][16][17] and finally took place on 9 July 2024.[18][19][20][21]
The contract was originally scheduled to be awarded by the end of March but theEuropean Commission apparently put it on hold. At a meeting of an EU parliamentary committee on April 9 2024, EU commissioner for the internal market,Thierry Breton, stated the commission was still finalizing the contract without providing an estimate regarding when it would be completed.[14]
In October 2024, theEuropean Commission announced that theconcession contract to develop, deploy and operate IRIS² had been awarded to SpaceRISE, a consortium of three European satellite operators—SES,Eutelsat andHispasat— which would rely on a core team of 8 European space and telecommunications companies as subcontractors; they areThales Alenia Space,OHB,Airbus Defence and Space,Telespazio,Deutsche Telekom,Orange,Hisdesat andThales SIX. The European Commission stated that IRIS² would be funded by the EU, theEuropean Space Agency and private financing, and that thesatellite constellation would comprise 290 satellites in multiple orbits, with the governmental services expected to start operating in 2030.[22][23] The contract with SpaceRISE was signed inBrussels on December 16, 2024.[24][10]
After the February2025 Trump–Zelenskyy meeting and subsequent suspension of all US military aid to Ukraine, the question arose how much longerStarlink services with its 7000 satellites would be available to Ukraine. However, IRIS² would not be in orbit until 2030 and the current European serviceEutelsat OneWeb is much more expensive to use.[25] In April 2025, it was revealed thatGermany has been financing Ukraine’s use of Eutelsat satellite internet services for about a year as an alternative to Starlink.[26]
In March 2025,Norway requested to join IRIS² and the negotiations with the EU started on March 13.[27]
Later in March, theSwiss satellite communication company WISeSat.Space announces the creation of a new subsidiary inSpain in order to align with the IRIS² programme.[28]
In July 2025,Iceland has concluded talks with theEuropean Commission to participate in IRIS².[29]
In August 2025, the SpaceRISE consortium (Eutelsat,Hispasat, andSES) has narrowed the field of potential prime contractors for IRIS² toAirbus (France) andAerospacelab (Belgium).[30][31]
In September 2025,Poland allocated funds for six secure communications satellites, an additional contribution to the country's commitments to IRIS².[32][33]
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