European Spaceflight
• Andrew Parsonson
Europe’s IRIS² secure communications program has cleared a key development milestone, unlocking implementation with additional funding and an expanded satellite constellation. The decision advances the European effort to establish sovereign, secure connectivity infrastructure for government and strategic users.
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Europe’s IRIS² secure communications program has cleared a key development milestone, unlocking implementation with additional funding and an expanded satellite constellation. The decision advances the European effort to establish sovereign, secure connectivity infrastructure for government and strategic users.
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The European Commission has agreed with an industrial consortium to expand and accelerate IRIS², its sovereign secure-connectivity constellation, with first launches targeted for 2029. Indra’s Hispasat will lead a services contract worth more than €1.6 billion, while total program investment is expected to exceed $18 billion.
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