The European Commission finalized an implementation agreement with the SpaceRISE consortium for IRIS², the EU's planned secure satellite constellation, on August 7, moving the program from planning into full-scale industrial deployment with a first-launch target of 2029.
Under the agreement, detailed by ESA, the constellation expands to 348 satellites: 330 in low Earth orbit and 18 in medium Earth orbit, augmented by a dedicated security layer of 66 additional high-low Earth orbit satellites. That reinforcement boosts secure governmental capacity by 60% within the EU and 54% globally, giving European defense and emergency services a more resilient communications backbone during crises.
The European Commission holds decision-making authority over IRIS², with ESA handling technical implementation: constellation development, qualification and in-orbit validation. The SpaceRISE consortium, comprising SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat, holds the 12-year concession contract signed in December 2024 and is responsible for space and ground infrastructure. Major European space manufacturers including Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, OHB and Aerospacelab lead industrial delivery, with scope for smaller suppliers across the supply chain.
Negotiations on the program's governance, technical parameters and financing, known as Rendezvous 1, ran from January 2026 and concluded August 6. Per the European Commission, the agreement locks in the design, system capacity, deployment schedule and target price. National co-investment is substantial: Poland committed €656 million, Hungary €500 million, and Spain announced between €1.6 billion and €2 billion, with further EU Member State contributions under negotiation.
IRIS² is designed to provide European governments, defense forces and emergency services with sovereign, continuous connectivity across the EU and participating countries including Norway and Iceland. Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defense Industry and Space, said the signing accelerates early defense service delivery and boosts secure capacity beyond the original design. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said reaching this milestone demonstrates Europe's capacity to deliver an independent, resilient connectivity system.
With the agreement in place, SpaceRISE and its industrial partners will advance satellite manufacturing, launch-service procurement and secure ground infrastructure development. Progressive deployment of operational connectivity services is targeted from 2029.
