Aerospacelab Wins €2.4 Billion Eutelsat Contract to Build 264 LEO Satellites for European Commission’s IRIS² Program
The landmark award gives the Belgian manufacturer responsibility for most of the low-Earth-orbit satellites planned for Europe’s secure-connectivity network.
(Paris, France) Belgian manufacturer Aerospace Lab said today (Thursday, September 10) that it has received a €2.4 billion contract from Eutelsat (ETL.PA) to manufacture 264 low-Earth-orbit (LEO) platforms and deliver integrated satellites for Europe’s IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) secure-connectivity constellation, giving the company a central role in the European Union’s planned sovereign communications network.
Satellite rendering courtesy of Aerospace Lab.
According to Aerospacelab, the award for key Prime Contractor for the LEO segment of the IRIS² program was awarded through the Eutelsat-led SpaceRISE consortium and covers 264 of the 348 low-Earth-orbit satellites planned for the IRIS² constellation.
The SpaceRISE consortium was chosen to develop and operate the network under a concession deal with the EU.
The satellite platforms will be operational and intended to form the backbone of Europe’s sovereign, secure, and resilient connectivity infrastructure by 2030,” acording to Aerospacelab.
"The selection of Aerospacelab for IRIS2 reflects a deliberate industrial choice, a defining moment for Europe as a whole. Institutions are now also placing their trust in a new generation of space manufacturers: companies like Aerospacelab, built from the ground up to deliver satellite infrastructure at scale and speed," said Benoît Deper, CEO of Aerospacelab. "At the heart of Europe, we have designed and are now completing our Megafactory: an industrial tool whose scale was built precisely for programmes of this magnitude. Waking up knowing that we are building Europe’s strategic future is a rare privilege."
French President Emmanuel Macron identified Aerospacelab as one of the companies involved in IRIS² during his September 10 address at the International Space Summit in Paris, according to the official Élysée transcript.
