Contained within the small print of an August 7th announcement covering the massive IRIS2 ‘super-constellation’ of satellites are some key details. The project is budgeted at some €15.6 billion and will comprise 348 new satellites. The original budget, estimated in December 2024, was for about €10.5 billion-€11 billion. It has also emerged that Eutelsat is […]

The negotiations which should have led to a decision (the Rendezvous-1/RDV-1 stage) are running late. These past few days have seen both SES and Eutelsat make comments on the discussions. They are the key players in the SpaceRISE consortium (along with Hispasat) and responsible for the scheme. The industry was expecting a decision by April […]

Eutelsat’s mid-year presentation saw CEO Jean-François Fallacher confirm the financial objectives for the full year ahead (Eutelsat’s financial year end is on June 30th). He noted upgrades from both Moody’s and Fitch ratings agencies. As to the company’s key division, the outstanding highlight was the LEO (OneWeb) activity which rose almost 60 per cent and […]

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 […]

Laurent Jaffart, Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications at the European Space Agency (ESA), has spoken encouragingly about the UK participating in the EU’s IRIS2 super-constellation being assembled by the SpaceRISE consortium. Jaffart was questioned on the possibility of the UK participating directly in IRIS2 during the Westminster Forum’s ‘Next steps for UK space policy, […]

Charleroi, Belgium-based, Aerospacelab has raised $110 million (€94.5m) of fresh cash to expand its manufacturing capacity and improve its bid for a role in IRIS², Europe’s planned highly-secure multi-orbit broadband satellite constellation. The cash-raising exercise is part of a Series B round, and should enable its 215,000 sq ft factory to be completed and equipped. […]

The SmallSat Europe conference at the RAI Congress Centre in Amsterdam heard speaker after speaker express anxiety over the planned European IRIS2 mega-constellation. The project, which will eventually bring together low Earth orbit, mid-Earth and geostationary satellites in a global ring of craft with ultra-secure communications, is looking extremely fragile if the event’s speakers are […]

IRIS² is the planned highly-secure satellite mega-constellation being engineered by the European Union and where Europe’s key satellite operators are working together in the SpaceRISE consortium to achieve the flagship scheme. SpaceRISE has issued a statement saying: “At SpaceRISE we are committed to the timely development and implementation of the multi-orbit system, and are delighted […]

IRIS2 is Europe’s massive project to provide a highly-secure multi-orbit satellite constellation which will also compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink and provide safe and secure communications for Europe’s nations and military. The IRIS2 project has been described as ‘Starlink’s big sister’ and a true mega-constellation. But it has a very tight set of deadlines. The […]

The IRIS2 project for hundreds of satellites was confirmed December 16th with the signing of contracts worth €10.6 billion with the SpaceRISE consortium. The consortium, led by satellite operators SES, Eutelsat and Hispasat, is now contracted to build – via sub-contractors – and operate the new highly-secure fleet of satellites. The contract covers a 12-year […]