Belgium’s Aerospacelab has secured a €2.4 billion contract to build 264 satellites for the European Union’s IRIS² secure communications network, taking responsibility for about 76% of the planned constellation. The award positions the company as the main manufacturer of the low-Earth-orbit segment, with launches for the programme due from 2029 and initial service targeted for 2030.
The satellites will be built through the Eutelsat-led SpaceRISE consortium, which is developing and operating the network under an EU concession. Airbus has separately begun work on the first layer of IRIS²’s low-Earth-orbit segment with Thales Alenia Space, confirming the wider industrial structure for the programme and the timing of the first deliveries.
IRIS² is designed as Europe’s sovereign alternative for secure government and security communications, reducing reliance on non-European systems. Reuters said the Aerospacelab contract equates to roughly €9.1 million per satellite, underscoring the scale of the Belgian company’s manufacturing ramp in Charleroi and its transition into serial production for one of Europe’s most important space infrastructure projects.