EU Expands IRIS² to 348 Satellites
The European Union has entered a new stage in the development of IRIS² — Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite.
On August 7, 2026, the European Commission and the SpaceRISE consortium concluded negotiations that began in January and signed an implementation agreement moving IRIS² from planning toward full-scale deployment.
The agreement also expands the main constellation to 348 satellites.
The revised architecture will consist of 330 satellites in higher Low Earth Orbit and 18 satellites in Medium Earth Orbit.
Deployment will take place in successive phases, with the first launches now scheduled for 2029. The EU expects sovereign, secure and accredited European connectivity services to begin becoming available soon after the initial deployments.
Earlier Plans Called for Around 290 Satellites
The original IRIS² architecture was smaller.
When the European Commission, European Space Agency and SpaceRISE signed the 12-year concession contract in December 2024, the network was expected to include approximately 290 new LEO and MEO satellites.
At that stage, the project was valued at around €10.6 billion. Public financing was expected to provide €6.5 billion, with more than €4 billion coming from private consortium members.
The European Commission’s August 2026 announcement did not provide a revised total cost for the expanded 348-satellite architecture.
66 Additional Satellites Strengthen Security Capacity
Security is the main driver behind the expansion.
The updated architecture adds an advanced set of 66 higher-LEO satellites focused primarily on defence, security and emergency-service requirements. Satellites in the baseline constellation will also receive enhanced capabilities.
According to the European Commission, the changes will increase secure governmental communications capacity by 60% within the EU and 54% worldwide.
IRIS² is intended to support encrypted communications for public authorities, armed forces, diplomatic missions, border and maritime surveillance, critical infrastructure and emergency response, particularly when terrestrial networks are unavailable or disrupted.
IRIS² Is Not Simply a European Copy of Starlink
IRIS² is frequently described as “Europe’s Starlink,” but the comparison has important limitations.
Starlink was primarily developed as a large commercial satellite broadband network. IRIS² is being designed from the outset as sovereign and secure communications infrastructure under European control.
Governmental and defence users are among the system’s primary customers. At the same time, IRIS² is also intended to offer commercial connectivity and high-speed broadband in areas where reliable terrestrial networks are unavailable.
The European constellation will also be much smaller than the largest commercial megaconstellations and will use a multi-orbit architecture, combining LEO and MEO spacecraft.
IRIS² is therefore better understood as a sovereign European secure-connectivity system that overlaps with some Starlink functions rather than as a direct copy of the U.S. network.
Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat Lead the Project
IRIS² is being developed and operated by the SpaceRISE consortium.
Its three principal satellite operators are Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat. The broader industrial team also includes Airbus Defence and Space, Thales Alenia Space, OHB, Telespazio, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Hisdesat and other European technology companies.
Responsibilities are distributed across the consortium. SES is leading parts of the Medium Earth Orbit deployment, Eutelsat contributes Low Earth Orbit capabilities, while Hispasat is involved in delivering and operating the governmental ground segment.
The European Space Agency supports technology development, while the EU Agency for the Space Programme, EUSPA, is responsible for security accreditation and governmental service provision.
Full IRIS² Services Are Targeted for 2030
The programme’s earlier timetable divided development into design and engineering work during 2025–2028, deployment during 2029–2030 and exploitation thereafter.
Full IRIS² services are still targeted for 2030, while the revised implementation agreement confirms that the first satellite launches should take place in 2029.
Europe will not, however, wait until the completed constellation is deployed before providing common governmental satellite connectivity. IRIS² is being developed alongside other elements of the EU’s secure communications architecture, including GOVSATCOM.
IRIS² is the EU’s third major satellite flagship after the Galileo navigation programme and the Copernicus Earth-observation system.
Transport Could Use IRIS² as a Resilient Communications Layer
The potential applications extend beyond government and defence.
The European Commission specifically identifies transport among the sectors that could benefit from resilient satellite connectivity. IRIS² is intended to maintain data connections in areas where terrestrial mobile or fibre networks are unavailable, unreliable or disrupted.
For transport and logistics operators, this could support communications with vessels, remote terminals and infrastructure, as well as telematics and other digital services in locations beyond reliable terrestrial coverage.
A redundant satellite communications layer could become particularly valuable during natural disasters, major infrastructure failures, cyberattacks or other crises that interrupt conventional networks.
The rapid expansion of orbital infrastructure also increases the importance of monitoring the space environment. K2Cargo.News previously reported that China has begun deploying a 120-satellite commercial constellation for space debris monitoring.
Europe Is Building Its Own Strategic Communications Infrastructure
IRIS² is ultimately about more than additional satellite capacity.
The EU wants communications infrastructure whose operation and governance remain under European control. As governments, armed forces and critical infrastructure increasingly depend on satellite links, control over those networks has become a strategic issue.
IRIS² is also expected to integrate with terrestrial 5G and future 6G networks. Its security architecture includes a secure-by-design approach and integration with elements of the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure, EuroQCI.
The expansion from roughly 290 to 348 satellites shows that the EU is strengthening the governmental and defence dimension of the project before deployment begins.
If the revised timetable is maintained, 2029 will mark the beginning of physical deployment of Europe’s new secure communications layer, while 2030 remains the key target for full IRIS² services.
Read also: China to Deploy Its First Commercial Satellite Constellation for Space Debris Monitoring
