IRIS² Expansion: Constellation Size and Budget Escalation Confirmed
The European Commission has finalized negotiations for the IRIS² secure connectivity constellation, increasing the satellite count to at least 348 and raising the total project cost to 15.6 billion euros.
Strategic Expansion Confirmed
The European Commission has reached a critical milestone in the development of the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²). According to SpaceNews, the Commission has finalized negotiations with the SpaceRISE industrial consortium—led by Eutelsat, Hispasat, and SES—marking the completion of the 'Rendezvous 1' phase.
Scale and Technical Parameters
The architecture has been expanded to bolster defense and security capabilities. The revised plan adds 66 satellites to the high-Low Earth Orbit (LEO) shell, bringing the total constellation to at least 348 satellites. This includes 18 units in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and a separate low-LEO shell dedicated to technology incubation. Officials estimate these upgrades will enhance secure government service capacity by 60% within the European Union and 54% for international operations.
Fiscal and Timeline Data
Project costs have surged significantly. The new price tag is estimated at 15.6 billion euros ($18 billion), representing a 47% increase from the December 2024 estimate of 10.6 billion euros and more than doubling the initial 6-billion-euro proposal. Funding will be split, with the SpaceRISE consortium contributing 4 billion euros, while the Commission and ESA provide 11.6 billion euros.
Additional financing will be sourced from the EU’s 2028–2034 multiannual financial framework. Notable national contributions include approximately 2 billion euros from Spain and 750 million dollars from Poland. Despite the increased scale, launch schedules remain fixed; the first deployments are expected to begin in 2029.