Satellite operator SES completed the Rendez-vous 1 (RDV1) milestone on the implementation phase of the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite (IRIS²) constellation program. The goal of the program is to create a sovereign, resilient and secure satellite connectivity in Europe. SES’s rival operator Eutelsat announced its own IRIS2 milestone completion on Friday.
SES will design, build, and test the payloads for the constellation program’s MEO satellites. The European Commission, an SES-led SpaceRISE consortium and the European Space Agency all signed an IRIS² Concession Contract in December 2024, establishing financial and production guidelines for the program. SES’s expected capital commitment for the Medium-Earth Orbit MEO segment of the program is projected to be up to €1.35 billion, and includes deployment of 18 MEO satellites with a targeted service entry in 2030. SES said that it does not expect its investment to increase further to fund the project.
SES called IRIS² a “cornerstone of our next-generation Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) strategy.” When the constellation is launched, SES will be able to sell approximately 90% of the MEO capacity supplied by the constellation. The operator said the arrangement created “significant long-term revenue opportunities across government, mobility, enterprise and cloud connectivity markets over the lifetime of these satellites. SES will also lead user terminal development, operations and the provision of LEO/MEO services through IRIS² control centers.
