IRIS² - the European Commission awards the concession contract to SpaceRISE consortium

The European Commission awarded a 12 years concession contract to develop, deploy and operate the Union's secure connectivity satellite system IRIS² to SpaceRISE consortium in October 2024.

Agence spatiale européenne (ESA), 2016

The Commission awarded to the SpaceRISE consortium the concession contract to develop, deploy and operate the IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite). The signature of the concession agreement is scheduled for December 2024.

The SpaceRISE consortium is composed of three European satellite network operators: SES SA, Eutelsat SA, and Hispasat S.A. It also involves subcontractors from multiple segments of the satcom ecosystem: Thales Alenia Space, OHB, Airbus Defence and Space, Telespazio, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Hisdesat and Thales SIX.

The 12-year concession contract consists in a public-private partnership to acquire a system composed of over 290 satellites on various orbits and the associated ground segment to provide governmental services by 2030 while enabling commercial services.

The contract will be funded by public (European Union and ESA) and private investments (the SpaceRISE consortium).

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