IRIS² satellite constellation: Europe's €15.6bn sovereign communications infrastructure moves into industrial execution

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Europe's €15.6 billion IRIS² satellite initiative is advancing from strategy to hardware deployment. Prime contractors including Airbus, OHB, Thales Alenia Space, Eutelsat, and SES are building LEO and MEO constellations, with 330 LEO and 18 MEO satellites planned for launch by 2029. The programme aims to provide sovereign, secure government and emergency communications infrastructure independent of commercial services like Starlink.