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2024: EU awarded Iris satellite internet contract for €10.6 billion
On December 16, 2024, the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed contracts with the industrial consortium SpaceRISE to create a satellite constellation to provide broadband Internet access. The project was called IRIS2 - Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite.
The cost of the IRIS2 project is estimated at €10.6 billion. Of these, about €6 billion will be provided by the European Union, €550 million - by ESA. Another €4.1 billion will come from the SpaceRISE consortium, which includes Airbus Defense and Space, Deutsche Telekom, Eutelsat, Hisdesat, Hispasat, OHB, Orange, SES, Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space and Thales.
In total, the new group will unite more than 290 spacecraft. In particular, 18 satellites will operate in medium Earth orbit (MEO) at an altitude of about 8 thousand km, providing Ka-band services. The LEO High segment at an altitude of approximately 1,200 kilometers will include 264 satellites with support for the Ku- and Ka-bands. The system also provides for the use of 10 or more satellites in the LEO Low segment at an altitude of 400 to 750 km, designed to test and evaluate future technologies. In this case, the MEO segment can be supplemented by commercial satellites SES, whose grouping O3b operates in similar orbits.
It is planned to start operating the IRIS2 system by 2031. It will provide secure communication for government organizations and commercial companies, as well as high-speed Internet access for households. IRIS2 is expected to be one of the largest European space projects along with the Galileo satellite navigation system and the Copernicus Earth observation program.[1]
2023: Draft approval by the European Parliament. 6 billion euros are invested in it
In mid-February 2023, MEPs supported the deployment of satellites in orbit to provide secure communication and high-speed Internet access. The network of European communications satellites will IRIS2 be commissioned from 2024, and a large-scale deployment is scheduled for 2027th.
The draft IRIS2, according to MEPs, will provide the EU with strategic autonomy in the field of secure government communications in conditions when cybersecurity threats are becoming more and more obvious. Especially after the start of a full-scale special military operation of Russia in Ukraine at the end of February 2022.
The IRIS2 project is estimated at €6 billion. From the budget, the EU intends to invest €2.4 billion in it, and the remaining €3.6 billion will be invested by private companies and the European Space Agency. For February 2023, the EU government expects 30% of the infrastructure to be built by European startups. As a result, the European Union will receive its own safe space communication system by 2024. In addition, the satellites will provide broadband access in places in Europe and provide communication to the Arctic region.
During negotiations with EU ministers, MEPs took care of strengthening the environmental components of the IRIS2 system. As well as the stability of its work in order to avoid the spread of space debris, light pollution and ensure the compensation of the carbon footprint to reduce the impact of emissions during its operation.
IRIS2 will complement the existing Galileo navigation system and the Copernicus Earth monitoring network. According to Reuters, European satellites from the IRIS2 project are also the EU's response to the Starlink satellite project launched by Elon Musk to provide Internet services through a large network of satellites to residents of remote areas.[2]
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