The IRIS² discussion at the Space Defense & Security Summit. Photo: Via Satellite

While hailing the importance of the IRIS² constellation, a number of prominent experts believe things need to move quicker as Europe adapts to a more contested and fragile overall space environment. Last week a panel at Novaspace’s Space Defense and Security Summit (SDSS) in Paris bought together speakers from European institutions, as well as commercial players to talk about what comes next for IRIS².

Philippe Rosius, head of Department Security Operations & Monitoring, EU Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) spoke of the importance of IRIS² to support security missions for Member States in Europe.

“We need to support missions with a secure system. We have heard several times [at this conference] that space is now a warfighting domain. It is now a crucial domain, and space is now a domain of high competition,” Rosius said. “Today the main threats are cyber and jamming. We are developing the security of the system. To implement that security, we need a security monitoring structure, not just a security monitoring center. We need to understand from a EUSPA perspective what security means.”

Public-private partnership (PPP) is an interesting subject for the EU when it comes to space, having previously abandoned this approach when funding the Galileo project. This has led to some concerns for the IRIS² project using a PPP model.

A team led by Eutelsat, Hispasat, and SES has been tasked with building the multi-orbit satellite constellation, which will be Europe’s third flagship space program after Galileo and Copernicus. It will include public funding and investment from the companies.

Nicolas Guillermin, team leader for security with the European Commission, said a PPP was the requested model for the constellation.

“We want to provide our most critical users [in government/defense] the capabilities they need in case of crisis. It is an obligation for us. It is not the first time the European Commission has gone down the PPP road in space. We have a defence and security community that wants capacity when and where they need it and with fully reliable access,” he said.

Antonio Abad Martin, CTO of Hispasat, argued that IRIS² can’t be compared to Galileo.

“There have been some previous discussions when the PPP didn’t work with Galileo. At the time of Galileo, you have to remember, there really wasn’t a commercial market in navigation,” he said. “There is a clear commercial market for IRIS². There is a real and sound commercial market. From a Hispasat side, we have had successful experiences with PPP. I am convinced there will be a successful development of this PPP.”

One of the criticisms leveled at IRIS² is it is arriving late on the scene and by the time it is launched, some of the technology could already be out of date. Responding to this, Guillermin said, “We need to build IRIS² in Europe. We are in time. Good things take time to be made, in particular, when you take a more sovereign approach. We think we will have a competitive technology. Some may ask, is it too small? I know what we can do with the budget available. However, the keyword is scalability. It is a complete product but scalable everywhere. You can develop new satellites and services. For the commercial sector, there is an ability to continue to invest.”

Jean-Pierre Diris, interministerial coordinator for France on IRIS² and GOVSATCOM, French Space Agency (CNES) believes sovereignty is key for IRIS², and having high levels of data protection and continuity of services are fundamental aspects of this.

He adds, “With IRIS², it is both a government and commercial architecture. It will be used for military operations. We intend to connect the battlefield with LEO [Low-Earth Orbit] terminals in order to for remote operations. You also have applications for ministries and embassies, as there is a need to connect them securely all over the world. It can also help in crisis management, dealing with climate emergencies or even terrorist attacks. Providing emergency connectivity is crucial. We now live in a world where people want connectivity first and food second in these types of situations.”

Overall, the group stressed the need for Europe to have the capabilities of IRIS², and there was a sense of urgency in their remarks, with Guillermin saying that work on the program needs to speed up.

“The French government needs IRIS² now. It is about sovereignty,” Diris said.