Tag: IRIS2
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Aerospacelab Turns Profitable Before Securing €2.4 Billion IRIS² Satellite Contract
Belgian satellite manufacturer Aerospacelab said September 21 that it had reached profitability in early 2026, before winning a €2.4 billion ($2.75 billion) contract to design, manufacture and deliver 264 low Earth orbit satellites for the European Union’s IRIS² secure communications constellation. The contract, announced September 10, gives Aerospacelab responsibility for approximately 76% of the 348…
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Europe’s Largest Mobile Operators Explore Joint Bid for EU Direct-to-Device Spectrum
Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefónica and Vodafone are in preliminary talks to form a consortium that would bid for part of the European Union’s 2 GHz mobile satellite spectrum, potentially creating a European-controlled direct-to-device service to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink and other non-European satellite operators. The discussions were reported on September 7 and remain at an…
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SpaceX and Blue Origin Withdraw From Paris Space Summit After White House Warning
SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space and Starcloud withdrew from French President Emmanuel Macron’s International Space Summit in Paris after the White House warned that participation could be interpreted as support for European Union space policies. France’s government confirmed the four withdrawals on September 3, 2026, ahead of the September 9–10 event. The cancellations remove two…
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OHB Wins $1.16 Billion Contract to Build 18 MEO Satellites for Europe’s IRIS² Network
German satellite manufacturer OHB has secured a contract worth nearly €1 billion ($1.16 billion) from SES to develop and manufacture all 18 medium Earth orbit satellite platforms for the European Union’s IRIS² secure connectivity constellation. Announced on August 31, 2026, the award is the first major industrial contract placed since IRIS² entered full-scale implementation on…
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Poland Commits 656M EUR to IRIS² Constellation
Does Poland’s IRIS² Commitment Signal Eastern Europe’s Rising Weight in Space Policy? Poland has pledged 656 million euros — approximately $748 million — to Europe’s IRIS² satellite constellation, an amount that funds nearly 10% of the program according to an agreement signed Tuesday in Warsaw. That single commitment reframes Poland’s position in European space infrastructure…
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Cyprus Becomes First Country To Use EU GOVSATCOM Secure Satellite Communications Service
The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) announced that Cyprus has become the first country to operationally use the European Union’s GOVSATCOM system. The announcement, made on March 10, said the service was deployed for safety and security operations along the EU’s south-eastern borders, marking the first operational use of the platform since…
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Eutelsat Secures French-Backed Financing to Expand OneWeb Satellite Constellation
European satellite communications operator Eutelsat has secured nearly €1 billion in government-backed financing from France to support the expansion of its OneWeb low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation, the company said. The €975 million agreement, announced on Feb. 11, is backed by the French Export Credit Agency and will fund a recently signed contract with Airbus Defence and…
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EU Still Reliant on U.S. for Space Security as IRIS² Years Away, Commissioner Says
The European Union remains dependent on the United States for critical defence and space services and cannot yet replace U.S. capabilities, despite ambitions to build its own satellite infrastructure, EU Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius told Euronews. Kubilius said the EU’s Governmental Satellite Communications programme, known as GOVSATCOM, is intended as an interim solution…
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EU Launches Secure GOVSATCOM Network to Bolster Space Sovereignty
The European Union has launched its own secure and encrypted satellite communications system, a move aimed at strengthening Europe’s space sovereignty and defence capabilities, EU officials said on Tuesday. Speaking at the 18th European Space Conference in Brussels, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius announced the start of operations under GOVSATCOM, an initiative…
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Finally, a sign of life for Europe’s sovereign satellite Internet constellation
The European Commission announced Thursday it plans to sign a contract with the continent’s leading space companies before the end of the year to begin development of a 290-satellite broadband Internet network estimated to cost more than 10 billion euros (about $10.9 billion). The press release announcing the contract award to IRIS²—known as Infrastructure for…