Europe accelerates IRIS² rollout and expands satellite constellation

Europe has finalised the implementation plan for IRIS², the European satellite internet service. The constellation will be larger than initially planned: 66 satellites are being added, and the first launches have been brought forward by one year. The total investment in the programme now stands at €15.6 billion.

IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) is intended to reduce Europe's dependence on commercial satellite services from outside the EU, such as SpaceX's American Starlink. The project is being delivered through a public-private structure in which the European Commission and ESA together contribute €11.6 billion. The SpaceRISE consortium, comprising satellite operators SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat, jointly contributes up to €4 billion.

In addition to the three consortium partners, a core team of eight European aerospace and telecoms companies is involved as subcontractors, including Thales Alenia Space, Airbus Defence and Space, OHB, Deutsche Telekom and Orange. Belgian firm Aerospacelab is also building hardware for the project.

Two orbital layers, two lead partners

IRIS² operates with satellites at two different orbital altitudes. Eutelsat leads the low Earth orbit (LEO) segment and is investing approximately €3.4 billion in it. SES takes responsibility for the medium Earth orbit (MEO) segment and is contributing up to €1.35 billion. This two-layer design makes it possible to offer both broadband internet with low latency and connections that are more resilient to disruptions, relevant for government applications and critical infrastructure.

The ground segment, which manages the link between the satellites and the ground infrastructure, is led by Hispasat. The contract for this amounts to over €1.6 billion. Hispasat, part of Spain's Indra Group, is itself investing up to €600 million in the project.

Funding from multiple member states

In addition to contributions from the European Commission, ESA and the commercial partners, individual member states are also contributing to the financing. Poland has formalised a contribution of €656.3 million. Hungary has pledged €500 million and Spain up to €2 billion. Germany has established a so-called GOVSATCOM Hub in Cologne, a ground station for government communications via the network. Norway and Iceland, which are not EU member states but are linked through EEA agreements, have also signed participation agreements.

The coordinated approach at member-state level is partly intended to increase governance agility. Jean-Pierre Diris is acting as inter-departmental coordinator for IRIS² and is responsible for overseeing alignment between the various governments and institutions.

What the expansion means for the schedule

The original constellation has been expanded by 66 satellites, although Europe has not yet communicated the total number of satellites to be launched. The first launches will take place a year earlier than previously scheduled. Precise dates for those initial launches have not been confirmed based on the available source material.

Accelerating the rollout fits a pattern in which European institutions feel pressure to pick up pace. Starlink already counts thousands of active satellites and offers services worldwide. Amazon's Project Kuiper is in an advanced testing phase. IRIS² is primarily aimed at government users and critical sectors, but will also offer commercial connectivity to businesses and citizens in areas where fixed broadband coverage is lacking.

European context and strategic background

IRIS² stems from a 2023 European Union decision to reduce dependence on non-European satellite providers. The debate gained additional urgency after access to Starlink services was called into question on several occasions in a geopolitical context. For policymakers, IRIS² is therefore not only a connectivity project but also an instrument of digital sovereignty.

For the European aerospace and telecoms sector, the programme brings a substantial package of contracts, spread across multiple countries and companies. Whether that distribution simplifies or complicates implementation remains to be seen in the years ahead. The acceleration of the launch schedule suggests that the parties involved are confident about progress, but large infrastructure programmes with so many public and private stakeholders have traditionally also encountered setbacks in planning and budget. For Dutch and other European companies and investors active in the aerospace and telecoms sector, IRIS² is meanwhile one of the larger procurement processes of this decade.