December 28, 2025 — The SpaceRISE consortium, led by SES, Eutelsat, and Hispasat, transitioned the European Union’s IRIS² program into its active industrial procurement phase on Sunday.
The move follows the publication of high-level procurement documentation via the European Space Agency (ESA), signaling the start of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process for 272 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites and associated launch services.
Procurement Strategy and Architecture
The current procurement push represents the first major shift from political mandate 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 percent of the concession agreement’s value to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) outside the prime tenderer group.
Launch Prioritization and Strategic Autonomy
To ensure European strategic autonomy, the launch services RFP is expected to prioritize the Ariane 6 heavy-lift vehicle. This focus aims to stabilize the internal EU launch cadence following the rocket’s successful first commercial flight in March 2025 and its December 17 mission carrying Galileo satellites.
European Digital Sovereignty
The IRIS² program is the EU’s third flagship space initiative, intended to provide a secure communications backbone for governmental users and bridge digital divide gaps for commercial sectors. The system is positioned as a sovereign alternative to commercial constellations like SpaceX’s Starshield.
“IRIS² program is a landmark initiative that embodies Europe’s commitment to digital sovereignty, resilience, and strategic autonomy,” said Jean-François Fallacher, CEO of Eutelsat.
Implementation Timeline
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.
