The SpaceRISE consortium of satellite operators has won a contract to supply a major constellation of highly secure satellites. The SpaceRISE consortium comprises Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat and other smaller members. The contract will run for 12 years, and the consortium will put around €4 billion into the project, but the overall costs are reported to be about €12 billion.

IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) will play a transformative role in reinforcing Europe’s resilience, digital sovereignty, and low-latency connectivity for all EU Member States. This IRIS² multi-orbit satellite system is intended to enhance Europe’s ability to respond to crises, protect essential infrastructure, and bridge the digital divide. With full operational status targeted for the early 2030s, IRIS² will deliver a secure and competitive communications backbone aligned with Europe’s strategic and digital priorities.

The IRIS² programme is a public private partnership (PPP) which will be funded by a combination of EU, European Space Agency and private financing from the three satellite operators within the SpaceRISE consortium. An initial service will start in 2030 and use 290 satellites.

The contract comprises Europe’s key space and telecom companies including Airbus Defence and Space, Deutsche Telekom, Eutelsat, Hisdesat, Hispasat, OHB, Orange, SES, Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space, and Thales.

“SpaceRISE aims to bring SMEs and New Space players together in a multi-national footprint throughout the EU27 Member States to expand its collaboration. By harnessing the strengths of established industry leaders and emerging innovators, SpaceRISE is set to drive Europe’s secure and sustainable future in space,” says the consortium.

The €4 billion input from the three satellite players will see Eutelsat invest about €2 billion, and SES and Hispasat around €1 billion each.

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Categories: Articles, Broadband, Satellite

Tags: eutelsat, Hispasat, IRIS², SES