IRIS2 starts RFP phase
January 5, 2026
The SpaceRISE consortium which is building Europe’s ‘next generation’ of highly-secure satellites, has started the process of procuring its new fleet. SpaceRISE issued its Requests for Proposals’ on December 29th 2025 to industry suppliers for 272 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and associated launch services.
The consortium comprises Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat. The current procurement push represents the first major shift from political decisions to physical acquisition since the signing of the 12-year concession agreement in December 2024. The Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²) architecture is designed as a multi-orbit system consisting of:
· 272 LEO satellites at an altitude of approximately 1,200 km.
· 18 medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites at 8,000 km, leveraging existing SES MEO infrastructure.
· Optical inter-satellite links (ISLs) to maintain mesh network connectivity.
Under the procurement plan, Aerospacelab and Airbus Defence and Space have been identified as primary candidates for the LEO-High segment. The consortium is required by the IRIS² Regulation to subcontract at least 30 per cent of the concession agreement’s value to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) outside the prime tenderer group.
The next phase of the program involves the evaluation of binding proposals for flight subsystems and ground segment integration. While the European Commission targets initial governmental services by 2030, the 2026–2027 period will focus on the Critical Design Review (CDR) and the commencement of first-batch satellite manufacturing. Full operational readiness of the constellation is currently slated for 2031.
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