The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed 18 contracts totaling €20 million to research future developments for the IRIS2 secure communications network. These agreements involve nearly 80 European companies tasked with exploring satellite-based connectivity services and mission concepts.
The research focuses on the Low-LEO layer of the IRIS2 constellation, which will operate at altitudes below approximately 750 kilometers. This layer is distinct from the LEO-High component, which is positioned at 1,200 kilometers and forms the primary part of the system.
The Low-LEO layer consists of two parts: a European Commission-led segment for strategic government services and an ESA-led segment for testing new capabilities. ESA aims to use this framework to validate technologies before integrating them into the broader operational constellation.
ESA categorizes these efforts into De-Risk activities for early-stage demonstrations and Pre-Operational activities for validating mature services. The current contracts cover the initial consolidation phase, where teams will evaluate the feasibility and interoperability of proposed concepts.
Following these studies, ESA intends to launch a call for the implementation phase. The agency plans to conduct a series of validation missions in orbit between 2027 and 2029 to test the proposed services.
