IRIS²: a new frontier in the European space programme
On December 16th, the European Commission signed the concession contract for constructing the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²)
On December 16th, the European Commission signed the concession contract for constructing the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²)
The IRIS2 constellation – which stands for Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite – will comprise hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit and others in medium Earth orbit.
The European Commission has formalised the next phase of Europe’s space connectivity vision by signing a concession contract for the IRIS² programme.
The IRIS² programme is designed as a public-private partnership, aiming to deploy a constellation of over 290 satellites across various orbits.
On September 21, the European Commission signed a Contribution Agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA).
The European Commission enters the second phase of the procurement procedure for a concession contract to design, develop and operate the IRIS².
IRIS² aims to bring a new secure and resilient connectivity infrastructure to European governments, businesses and citizens.
The Commission launches an invitation to tender to procure a concession contract to implement the EU satellite constellation called IRIS².
The Council of the European Union adopted a regulation on the EU’s secure connectivity programme for 2023-2027. This is the last step in the decision-making procedure.
The creation of an EU space communication infrastructure would largely decrease congestion in space, resulting from space traffic and space debris that hinders the appropriate execution of operations in that domain.
With an EU budget of €2.4 billion (plus a contribution from ESA and private investments to come), IRIS² establishes space as a vector of our European autonomy, writes Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market of the European Union.
The Council of the European Unione and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a regulation establishing the EU’s secure connectivity programme for the period 2023-2027.