The European Union is seeking proposals for innovative and cost-effective user terminal technologies for the IRIS² constellation under a new tender opened on Wednesday.
According to the call for proposals, this solicitation isn’t focused on developing a specific user terminal product, but instead to support technologies, subsystems, and industrial readiness to improve affordability and manufacturability for user terminals for IRIS².
This could include Ka-band antenna-subsystem industrial readiness, manufacturing processes and equipment, supply chain measures, and modem and baseband industrial readiness for 5G NR NTN-compliant solutions. The EU is looking to support production scenarios on the order of thousands of units per month at scale, on a multi-year horizon.
IRIS² is planned as a multi-orbit secure communications constellation for Europe, made up of satellites in both Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO). It will serve both governments and militaries as well as businesses, with a mission to expand broadband access.
Up to three projects will be funded, with a total estimated budget of 20 million euro ($23 million).
“Projects funded under this call are expected to deliver tangible industrial outputs that demonstrably advance the readiness and affordability of future governmental Ka-band user terminals for IRIS² and Govsatcom services,” the call for proposals said.
