The European Commission and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an implementation agreement on Friday, August 7, to roll out Europe’s IRIS² satellite constellation, moving the project from the planning and negotiation stage into full-scale deployment. According to an official press release, the agreement adds 66 satellites to the planned constellation, bringing the total to 348 — 330 satellites in low Earth orbit and 18 in medium Earth orbit — with first launches targeted for 2029.
The expansion is intended to substantially increase the network’s government and defense capacity. According to the Commission, the revised architecture will provide 60% more secure governmental communications capacity within the EU and 54% more globally. The existing satellites in the baseline constellation will also receive additional functionality and stronger security features, while the 66 new spacecraft will operate in higher low Earth orbit.
