IRIS²: Europe’s Answer to Starlink with a Focus on Digital Sovereignty and Secure Connectivity
The IRIS² Satellite project aims to offer high-speed internet and secure connectivity across Europe, competing directly with SpaceX’s Starlink network, but with a focus on autonomy on the Old Continent.
The Commission has signed the concession contract for the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity, and Security by Satellite (IRIS²), a multi-orbital constellation of 290 satellites, with the SpaceRISE consortium, and the investment is worth 10.6 billion euros. This partnership will develop, deploy, and operate the European Union’s new system. It is a significant step towards Europe’s sovereignty and secure connectivity.
IRIS² at a glance
The IRIS² Satellite Constellation is the European Union’s third flagship, addressing long-term challenges of the EU’s security, safety, and resilience by offering enhanced connectivity services to governmental users.
The new multi-orbital constellation of 290 satellites will combine the benefits offered by Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Low Earth (LEO) satellites. It is set to provide secure connectivity services to the EU and its Member States as well as broadband connectivity for governmental authorities, private companies, and European citizens while ensuring high-speed internet broadband to cope with connectivity dead zones.
SpaceRISE Consortium: Pan-European Collaboration
The SpaceRISE consortium, entrusted with the implementation of this ambitious project, includes three leading European satellite network operators—SES SA, Eutelsat SA, and Hispasat S.A.—supported by a core team of European subcontractors from the satcom ecosystem. Key partners include Thales Alenia Space, OHB, Airbus Defence and Space, Telespazio, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Hisdesat, and Thales SIX.
This collaboration emphasizes a commitment to competitiveness and innovation, ensuring that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and new market entrants have opportunities within the supply chain.
Boosting EU satellite-based connectivity
Our world is moving fast into a new digital era, thus making our economy and security increasingly dependent on secure and resilient connectivity.
Characterized by ever-increasing needs for hyper-connectivity, major technological transformations, and the quest for digital sovereignty, the current decade has seen secure connectivity becoming a public commodity, with an unprecedented increase in demand for SATCOM services.
In a geopolitical context where cyber and hybrid threats are multiplying, security and resilience concerns are growing and call for a quantitative and qualitative improvement of EU governmental satcom capacities, moving towards higher security solutions, low latency, and higher bandwidth.
Tackling current and future challenges while supporting the autonomy and digital sovereignty of the continent, the European Union has put forward an ambitious plan for the development of IRIS2: the new space-based Secure Connectivity system.
IRIS2 will constitute a new space-based pillar for a digital, resilient, and safer Europe and will foster European competitiveness and societal progress.
A space-based secure communication system for the benefit of EU citizens
With the development of a state-of-the-art connectivity system, Europe will offer enhanced communication capacities to governmental users as well as to business users.
The system will support a large variety of governmental applications, mainly in the domains of surveillance (e.g. border and maritime surveillance), crisis management (e.g., humanitarian aid), connection and protection of key infrastructures (e.g. secure communications for EU embassies), as well as security and defense (e.g., maritime emergencies, force deployment, EU external actions, law enforcement interventions). The system will also enable a large number of commercial applications, such as in the transport sector (maritime, railway, aviation, and automotive), smart energy grid management, banking, overseas industrial activities, remote healthcare, and rural connectivity (backhauling).
The system will also enable mass-market applications including mobile and fixed broadband satellite access, satellite trunking for B2B services, satellite access for transportation, reinforced networks by satellite and satellite broadband, and cloud-based services.
Relying on disruptive technologies, including 5G standards, the multi-orbital EU secure connectivity system will ensure the long-term availability of reliable, secure, and cost-effective satellite connectivity services at a global scale. It will allow further development of high-speed broadband and seamless connectivity throughout the Union, removing connectivity dead zones and increasing cohesion across Member State territories, and allowing connectivity over geographical areas of strategic interest outside of the Union, notably the Arctic and Africa.
It will also incentivize the deployment of innovative and disruptive technologies and new business models, leveraging in particular the “New Space” ecosystem.
Acting now, with an incremental approach
As global satellite connectivity is rapidly becoming a strategic asset for security, safety, and resilience, the EU needs to urgently act in order to ensure guaranteed access in an unrestricted manner without third-party dependencies.
The implementation of IRIS2 will follow an incremental approach with the initial governmental services provided through existing satellite capacity owned by Member States pooled and shared already in 2025 through GOVSATCOM. IRIS² full governmental satellite connectivity services based on EU-owned infrastructure will be delivered by 2030.
Joining forces of the public and private sectors
An important role is expected from the private sector. The establishment of a concession contract will offer an optimization of costs, and the sharing of the design, development, and deployment risks, and while guaranteeing the availability of governmental services, it will create a favorable environment to the development of innovative solutions, notably through the involvement of actors from the “New Space” ecosystem.
The Commission will ensure close and hands-on supervision of the concession contract, drawing on the role and the mission of our trusted partners, ESA for development and deployment activities, and EUSPA for the governmental service provision. Such supervision will be taking place by means of an Integrated Programme Team, comprising expertise mainly from the Commission and ESA.
A technology setter, not a follower
IRIS2 supports the economic and societal growth of the EU while supporting social cohesion through the reduction of the digital divide.
Relying on 5G standards compatible with their future evolution, and governmental-grade crypto and cybersecurity through a secure-by-design approach for the infrastructure, the system will bring an unprecedented security level to its users.
Integrating innovative technologies, derived from both established space industry players with proven technology as well as the disruptive “New Space” ecosystem, it will also offer scalability capacities for future needs, thanks to a multi-orbital (Low and Medium) approach.
Finally, dedicated payloads on board the envisaged system are expected to improve and expand the capabilities and services of other components of the Union Space Programme.
According to the European Space Agency (ESA), this approach, with interconnected satellites in different orbits, guarantees reliable coverage without the need for thousands of devices.
Final Thoughts
With IRIS², the European Union is solidifying its position as a global leader in secure satellite connectivity, ensuring resilience in the face of emerging challenges. This programme not only addresses today’s connectivity needs but also lays the groundwork for Europe’s strategic autonomy in a digitalised world.
It will work similarly to SpaceX’s Starlink, which has already launched around 7,000 satellites since 2018.
