The European Commission (EC) has selected a team led by Eutelsat, Hispasat, and SES to build IRIS² — Europe’s future multi-orbit satellite constellation. The consortium, named SpaceRISE, will also include European subcontractors such as Thales Alenia Space, OHB, Airbus Defence and Space, Telespazio, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Hisdesat, and Thales SIX.
IRIS² will be Europe’s third flagship space program after Galileo and Copernicus. It is planned as a constellation of 290 satellites in both Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) and Low-Earth (LEO) to provide secure connectivity services to the EU and its Member States, along with broadband connectivity.
According to the EC, it will be a 12-year contract for a public-private partnership to acquire the satellites and ground segment to provide government services by 2030 and enable commercial services. It will be funded by a combination of EU, European Space Agency, and private financing from the three satellite operators.
Eutelsat CEO Eva Bernke said the constellation will complement and enhance Eutelsat’s existing LEO capabilities. “The IRIS² programme is a powerful extension of Eutelsat’s commitment to advancing Europe’s digital sovereignty through sustained investment in multi-orbit technology to deliver multi-layered, low-latency networks, which are essential to Europe’s strategic resilience,” Berneke said.
SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh commented: “The IRIS² system is aligned with SES’s multi-orbit network and underscores our commitment to advancing our MEO capabilities, as well as having access to LEO orbit.”
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