IRIS²
IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) is a planned multi-orbit satellite internet constellation to be deployed by the European Union by 2027.
| Country/ies of origin | European Union |
|---|---|
| Operator(s) | EUSPA, ESA |
| Type | Civilian, commercial and military |
| Status | Under development |
| Coverage | Global |
| Constellation size | |
| Nominal satellites | A few hundred, including up to 170 LEO satellites |
| Current usable satellites | None |
| First launch | 2025 (expected) |
| Other details | |
| Cost | €6 billion |
| Website | defence-industry-space |
It is intended to provide service to governmental agencies as well as commercial service to private entities. Its conception is a direct response to an increasing number of large satellite internet constellations outside of the control of the EU, such as Starlink, OneWeb or the forthcoming Kuiper project. The total cost of the programme is estimated at €6 billion, to which the European Union itself will contribute €2.4 billion from 2022 until 2027.
In addition to its use for communications, there are also plans to use IRIS² for space surveillance, and to detect high-altitude spy balloons.
IRIS² is part of an overall EU space strategy that will include the forthcoming EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence.