The IRIS² constellation will now include at least 348 satellites with an estimated total cost of 15.6 billion euros. Credit: European Commission
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — The European Commission has reached an agreement with an industrial consortium to proceed with a secure connectivity constellation, increasing the number of satellites as well as its cost.
The European Commission announced Aug. 7 it completed negotiations with the SpaceRISE industrial consortium on the IRIS² constellation, a milestone known formally as Rendezvous 1. The agreement signed between the commission and the consortium will allow work to proceed on the constellation.
The European Commission selected the SpaceRISE consortium, led by satellite operators Eutelsat, Hispasat and SES, in December 2024 for a one-year design phase, followed by negotiations on the implementation agreement that was part of Rendezvous 1.
At that time, IRIS² principally included 18 satellites in medium Earth orbit and 264 satellites in high low Earth orbit at an altitude of about 1,200 kilometers. The system would also include 10 or more satellites in a lower orbit for incubating new technologies.
