EU lays out $18B satellite constellation plan, with Spanish firm winning key role

Key Points:

• European officials have approved a rollout plan for the IRIS2 satellite constellation, adding 66 low Earth orbit satellites to the existing plan, with a total project value exceeding €15.6 billion ($18 billion).
• HispaSat, part of Spain’s Indra Group, has been named prime contractor for the ground-based communications and networking segment, valued at €1.6 billion ($1.85 billion), marking the first time a Spanish firm leads a major European space project consortium.
• The IRIS2 constellation will consist of 348 satellites, including 330 in low Earth orbit and 18 in medium Earth orbit, with launches expected to begin in 2029, aiming to enhance defense, security, and emergency services across the EU.
• The initiative supports the EU’s strategic autonomy in space by reducing reliance on US technology and services, and it forms one of the three pillars of Europe’s space strategy alongside the Copernicus Earth observation and Galileo GNSS programs.
• A 12-year public-private partnership contract has been established with the SpaceRise consortium, comprising Eutelsat, HispaSat, and SES, to enable governmental and commercial connectivity services by 2030.