Europe Increases Size and Cost of IRIS² Constellation
The EU-backed network will add 66 satellites and provide encrypted links for defence, security and emergency services, officials said.
- On Friday, August 7, 2026, the European Commission and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an implementation agreement for IRIS², the European Union's sovereign satellite network, expanding the planned fleet to 348 units.
- Europe aims to reduce reliance on American systems like SpaceX's Starlink for secure government communications, increasing secure capacity by 60% within the European Union.
- The SpaceRISE consortium, including Eutelsat, SES, and Hispasat, manages the project, with manufacturers like Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space building hardware supported by pledges from Poland, Hungary, and Spain.
- Financial strain at Eutelsat and SES makes the schedule uncertain for the wider programme, which requires over €15.6bn in funding, with first services scheduled for 2029 and full commercial operations expected by about 2032.
- The network remains open to members plus Norway and Iceland to ensure encrypted connectivity during crises, serving a specific sovereign purpose compared to SpaceX's Starlink, which operates more than 10,000 active satellites.
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EU Accelerates Sovereign Satellite Plans Citing Defense Needs
The European Union said it’s bulking up plans for a sovereign satellite constellation and will accelerate its service launch by a year to 2029, citing a changing security environment that will require greater communication capacity.
EU lays out $18B satellite constellation plan, with Spanish firm winning key role
BELFAST — European officials have agreed to a rollout plan for the continent’s flagship satellite constellation, adding 66 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to the hundreds already envisioned and naming a Spanish firm as prime contractor for ground-based communications and networking. Altogether, the plan for the European Union’s (EU) answer to SpaceX’s Starlink broadband communications...
The company founded by Benoît Deper is among the four manufacturers commissioned by the European Union to deploy the new constellation of satellites...
The European Commission is expanding its Iris2 project for secure broadband internet from space to 348 satellites, with the first services to be provided in 2029. The background is also "a changing security environment".
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