On 7 August, the European Commission and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an implementation agreement for IRIS², the EU’s sovereign satellite network, pushing it from planning into full-scale deployment, the European Space Agency said. Negotiations that began in January, known as Rendez-vous 1, are now done. The first launches will come in 2029.
The constellation also grew. Manufacturers agreed to build 66 more satellites than planned, taking IRIS² to 348 in all, Engadget reported. The extra craft will serve defence, security and emergency services, part of the same push as Europe rearms. The Commission says they lift secure government capacity by 60% inside the EU.
Tiny next to Starlink, and that is the point
Set against SpaceX’s Starlink, which flies more than 10,000 active satellites, 348 looks trivial. But IRIS² is not chasing consumer broadband. Its job is secure, encrypted connectivity for governments, armed forces and emergency teams, the sort of link a state wants when ground networks fail or a crisis hits.
That is the sovereignty argument. Europe would rather not have its officials, border patrols and disaster crews leaning on a single American constellation run by one billionaire. Amazon is building its own too. IRIS² is the network the EU owns and controls, open to members plus Norway and Iceland.
