A new dimension for European connectivity and resilience
IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) is the EU’s new flagship programme for secure satellite communications. It aims to provide resilient, high-speed connectivity across Europe and beyond, including to remote, underserved, and crisis-affected areas where terrestrial networks are unavailable or compromised. With IRIS², the EU takes a decisive step toward securing its digital sovereignty and strengthening its defence and cyber resilience.
The JRC has contributed to the definition of the IRIS² mission requirements – i.e., the service and technology vision of the IRIS² system. It has also supported other European Commission services and the European Space Agency (ESA) in the technical negotiations leading to the signature of the IRIS² concession agreement with the SpaceRISE industry consortium responsible for building, deploying and operating the IRIS² system.
Supporting government and commercial users
IRIS² serves a dual purpose by addressing both governmental and commercial needs. It will provide EU and Member State authorities –including defence, border control, and crisis management– with reliable and secure satellite communication services. At the same time, it enables innovative commercial applications, such as connectivity for aviation, maritime, and Internet of Things (IoT) networks.
The programme will support a multi-orbit satellite constellation combining Low-Earth (LEO) and Medium-Earth Orbits (MEO) satellites, ensuring low latency, high throughput, and global geographic coverage. This architecture will improve Europe’s strategic autonomy and reduce dependence on non-EU systems.
The JRC works together with other Commission services, the European Space Agency and the SpaceRISE industry consortium to co-engineer the network architecture and communication technologies underpinning the IRIS² system. In particular, the JRC coordinates the adoption and development of 5G Non-Terrestrial Network standards supporting the implementation of key IRIS² communication features.
A unified European effort
The implementation of IRIS² is led by the European Commission in close cooperation with Member States, the European Space Agency, and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA). The programme builds on the experience of existing components of the EU Space Programme, such as Galileo and Copernicus, contributing to a more integrated and strategic European space policy.
By investing in IRIS², the EU is safeguarding the resilience of its critical infrastructure, enabling secure communications for citizens and institutions, and laying the foundations for a more connected, secure, and competitive Europe.
The JRC is a member of the IRIS² Integrated Programme Team (IPT) – a joint team of European Commission, ESA and EUSPA staff responsible for the management and implementation of the IRIS² programme.