It has been initiated by the European Union the IRIS² project regarding infrastructure for resilience, interconnectivity, and security by satellite has been one of the major initiatives for creating a new secure satellite communication network to rival those of the U.S. such as Starlink using an overall budget of €10.6 billion. Furthermore, constituting plans to build an approximately 290-satellite multi-orbital constellation by the year 2030, IRIS² has mainly targeted secure communications for government and commercial use.
The grand project is to make significant advancements in strategic autonomy for Europe so that it convinces and builds up the required critical communications infrastructure for military, defense, or diplomatic purposes. Addressing the first connectivity issues for remote areas, which naturally occur, and ensuring that such deprived communities will not be left behind in today's digital age.
This initiative is publicly private and thus, the IRIS² project is affected particularly by the greater fraction of the funding outside the EU because it manifested private investments of €4.1 billion and €550 million from ESA. The project is being led by the SpaceRISE consortium, whose members are major players like Eutelsat, Hispasat, SES, and Airbus Defence and Space.
Whereas Starlink operates over 6,000 satellites to serve millions of customers worldwide, IRIS² aims to provide equal performance with only a few satellites through its innovative multi-orbital design. This should be considered as providing strong connectivity and solving the problem of space debris.
The entire European infrastructure for IRIS² will be managed by control centers located in Luxembourg, France and Italy. Europe aims to strengthen technological independence in an increasingly competitive space market. IRIS² thus serves as a testimony to the EU's commitment to providing secure and resilient communication systems to citizens and institutions.
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