Commissioner Kubilius was all smiles at the conclusion of the Paris International Space Summit. A new satellite constellation marks Europe’s most ambitious space project since Galileo.
European officials and industry chiefs gathered in Paris on Thursday to mark the formal start of IRIS²—pronounced “Iris Square”—Europe’s next great satellite constellation. The mood at the 10 September event was celebratory, and the ambition was large. EU Defence and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius set the tone: “We are both witnessing that historical development, but also we are participating in that historical development,” he told the assembled crowd.
IRIS² is a multi-orbit broadband constellation, built by the Space Rise consortium and designed to deliver secure, high-quality connectivity to government and commercial users worldwide. The consortium is led by Eutelsat, alongside Hispasat and SES, with Thales Alenia Space, Airbus Aerospace Lab, and OHB as key industrial suppliers. A critical concession agreement between the European institutions and Space Rise was finalised on 7 August 2026, formally launching the implementation phase.
The project has been years in the making. Jean-François Fallacher, Chief Executive Officer of Eutelsat, noted that early discussions with the European Commission date back to 2020. “Just to give you the time of maturing of Iris Square,” he said.
A constellation is born
Mr Kubilius was unambiguous about the stakes. “Definitely this is a big step forward, both in technological development, in space development, in development for European security and defence,” he said. He pointed to the programme’s ambition to match the quality of its predecessors. “It will be of the same highest quality in the world as Galileo and Copernicus,” he said — a high bar, given that those two programmes rank among the EU’s most successful industrial undertakings.
The first stage of the constellation is due for delivery in 2029. Mr Kubilius framed the current moment as the start of a longer journey. “Now really it’s time to celebrate the successful beginning,” he said. “I hope that after three years we shall have celebration on successful implementation.”
Finding a better name will also be the task for us. — Andrius Kubilius, defence and space commissioner
Mr Fallacher echoed that confidence, and added commercial texture. For Eutelsat (already the operator of OneWeb, the second-largest operational low-orbit constellation in the world), IRIS² represents a generational leap. “This is our generation two, this is our second generation that will kick in and allow us to have a future that will go up to 2040,” he said. Customers aligned with the programme already account for more than a quarter of Eutelsat’s revenues.
Orders placed, work begun
The financial commitments are already substantial. Mr Fallacher confirmed that billion-euro orders have gone to the programme’s key suppliers. “We have placed the orders, billion-euro orders at our key partners and suppliers,” he said. “The orders have been placed, the work is starting.” He named Thales Alenia Space, Airbus Aerospace Lab, and OHB as the principal recipients, i.e., three of Europe’s most capable space manufacturers.
The signing of the concession agreement on 7 August triggered immediate industrial activity. “Everybody’s already running since the 7th of August when we signed this important phase to make sure that we are going to be there on time for this strategic project for Europe,” Mr Fallacher said.
One small problem remains, the name, Mr Kubilius acknowledged, albeit half in jest. “Iris Square has one still remaining problem,” he said. “It’s not very clear how we shall call it in the future, because we have very nice titles for Galileo and Copernicus, and Iris Square is a little bit; yeah, it raises a question.” He added, with a measure of dry humour, that “finding a better name will also be the task for us”. For a programme of this scale and ambition, this challenge is sure not to be the steepest.
