Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain
The ongoing shift to the digital economy has already led to one observable result: a sharp rise in the need for connectivity enabling rapid data transfer. In a global market where connectivity offerings are rapidly evolving, satellites now achieve technical and economic performance close to that of terrestrial solutions. The huge advantage is the fixed cost of its deployment, whatever the geographical area, especially in “white” areas not covered by terrestrial infrastructure.
European IRIS² satellite constellation (It is part of this transformation, which requires more and more infrastructure for data exchange – currently dominated by US players. The satellite constellation enables different users to communicate via multiple satellites, providing continuous and complete coverage of the planet.
Telecommunications: a strategic challenge for Europe
With numerous public (China, US) and private (Oneweb, Starlink, Kuiper) initiatives developed and put into service to meet data processing and communication needs, the telecommunications sector has become more strategic than ever for France and Europe. Iris2 The program is designed to meet this challenge.
After some attempts in the early 2000s, new groups finally emerged, and the projects are now credible and funded largely with public and private money. Several factors have contributed to this emergence: advances in electronic miniaturization, the performance of integrated digital components, a significant reduction in launch costs and the industrial ability to produce satellites in small series at lower cost.
Faced with the development of satellite communications in low Earth orbit (Earth orbit area up to 2,000 kilometers above sea level), the European Commission has adopted a public-private approach aimed at strengthening Europe’s position in the field of communications. The constellation race for the benefit of European citizens and their institutions.
About 300 satellites
The European Union’s Secure Communication Satellite Constellation Program is scheduled for March 2023. IRIS2 (Satellite Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security Infrastructure) will be Europe’s first multi-orbit satellite network. About 300 satellites will be designed, manufactured and deployed in the first phase.
The constellation will provide secure communications infrastructure for EU government bodies and agencies. The various communication links between users and command and control links via satellite will be protected, and the ground infrastructure will be secured.
The system will guarantee the strategic independence of the European Union in the field of secure government communications. iris2 It will also provide commercial services and seek to maximize synergies between government and commercial infrastructure. This constellation will work to strengthen the position of Europe, its industries and its operators in the world.
iris2 It links to the existing EU GOVSATCOM programme, which provides secure government communications based on the capacity of licensed operators or member states.
The European Union funds IRIS2 In the amount of 2.4 billion euros under Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027; Additional financing is being considered under the multiannual financial framework 2028-2035. The financing is supplemented by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the amount of €600 million (signed up at the ESA Ministerial Conference in November 2022), and by private commercial players under a concession contract.
Following the validation of the EU Regulation on the Secure Connectivity Constellation Program in March 2023, the European Commission launched a call for tenders for the IRIS Main System.2 Development contract in May 2023.
The tender was completed by a consortium of three operators (Eutelsat, SES and Hispasat) linked to industrial subcontracting partners (Airbus, Thales, OHP, Deutsche Telekom and Orange) to submit the bid on 2 September 2024. The European Commission The tender examined the offer and has just confirmed the award of the contract with a view to signing IRIS for a period of 12 years2 Concession contract before the end of 2024.
Accessible service
In the summer of 2023, the European Commission launched a call for tenders to host the constellation’s ground infrastructure, and in April 2024 it selected France (Toulouse), Italy (Fucino) and Luxembourg (Bettembourg) to host IRIS.2 Control centers.
Former French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne decided to create French inter-ministerial coordination for IRIS2 And the Government Satellite Committee (GOVSATCOM), of which I was assigned as coordinator, with the participation of representatives of various ministries and agencies. The main objectives are to coordinate all French activities that contribute to the development and operation of these programmes, and to ensure an ongoing relationship with the European contact points (the European Union, the European Space Agency and the European Union Space Programme Agency) and the leadership of the French community of users of these programmes. The connectivity provided by these programs.
The goal of Iris2 It is to provide an independent and sovereign digital service to each EU member state. Nowadays, space communication has become indispensable, because it is the most reliable option when terrestrial communication systems do not exist or when they are damaged due to a conflict or natural disaster, for example.
The program will provide a wide range of services to European governments and citizens. The system allows monitoring borders and remote areas. The program is indispensable for civil protection, especially in the event of crises or natural disasters. It works to improve the delivery of humanitarian aid and management of maritime emergencies, both for search and rescue.
Many connected smart grids – energy, finance, healthcare, data centers, etc. – will be monitored thanks to the connectivity provided by IRIS2. The system will also enable the management of various infrastructures: air, railway, road and vehicle traffic. Added to this are institutional communications services for embassies, for example, and new telemedicine services for intervention in isolated areas.
And finally, Iris2 It will improve connectivity in areas of strategic interest for external security and defense policy: Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Arctic region, the Atlantic and Baltic region, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
The constellation’s satellites will be placed in two different orbits: low (up to 2,000 km) and medium (between 2,000 and 35,786 km). By covering this scope, IRIS2 It will be able to provide low-latency communications services – that is, transfer information at ultra-fast speeds comparable to the performance of terrestrial networks – and complement other European space programmes.
iris2 It is based on advanced technologies, with a relatively limited number of satellites compared to the huge constellations, which consist of several thousand. Its satellites will be designed to meet the environmental and regulatory standards of future European space law.
This article was republished from Conversation Under Creative Commons license. Read Original article.
Quotation:IRIS²: New satellite constellation aimed at ensuring EU communications independence (2024, November 6) Retrieved November 6, 2024 from
This document is subject to copyright. Notwithstanding any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
