IRIS² aims to bring a new secure and resilient connectivity infrastructure to European governments, businesses and citizens.
The open consortium will be governed by Airbus Defence and Space, Eutelsat, Hispasat, SES and Thales Alenia Space.
The consortium will rely on the core team of Deutsche Telekom, OHB, Orange, Hisdesat, Telespazio and Thales.
Together, they will aim to create a state-of-the-art satellite constellation based on a multi-orbit architecture that would be interoperable with the terrestrial ecosystem.
The partnership will set up an integrated European space and telecoms team across these companies to leverage the expertise and capabilities in the field of secure satellite communications solutions.
The consortium will encourage start-ups, mid-Caps and SMEs to join, resulting in a more innovative and competitive European space sector where new business models will emerge.
The integrated team will aim to foster collaboration among all European space players across the connectivity value chain, with a view to enabling the EU’s strategic autonomy through the delivery of secure and resilient government services.
