Europe Urged to Align Satellite Plans as IRIS² Contracts Announced
ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher calls for interoperability among European satellite programmes as IRIS² contracts are unveiled in Paris.
Europe must ensure its various national satellite programmes can operate together and avoid duplicating effort, the head of the European Space Agency said at a space summit in Paris on Thursday.
Josef Aschbacher, ESA's Director General, stressed the importance of preventing separate national projects from becoming isolated silos. "If we are able to connect them, then it is actually a very powerful system," he said, adding that this depends on interoperability being implemented and materialised — something he noted has yet to be done.
The summit, hosted by France, saw new contracts announced for the European Union's IRIS² communications constellation, which is intended to offer an alternative to non-European satellite networks. The rollout of IRIS² includes initial launches in 2029.
Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between France's Thales and Italy's Leonardo, said it had signed an agreement with satellite operator Eutelsat to supply government payloads for 330 of the constellation's low-Earth-orbit satellites. The order forms around €500 million of a broader IRIS² contract expected to exceed €3 billion. Airbus will build the first layer, composed of at least 66 satellites.
Germany's pursuit of a separate national military satellite network has heightened concerns about fragmentation of European efforts and rising costs. Aschbacher said ESA, which has a central role in implementing IRIS², has held technical meetings with industry players to define interoperability requirements.
He also expressed encouragement at strong political support from member states for plans that could eventually allow Europe to launch its own astronauts instead of relying on U.S. spacecraft. In a proposal published during the summit, he called for investment of €1 billion a year for 10 years starting in 2029 to strengthen European autonomy in the space sector. A decision on whether to approve the proposal would be taken in 2028, in line with ESA procedures.
French President Emmanuel Macron used the summit to call for greater European coordination and for governments to direct public procurement towards European companies. He said, however, that this need not rule out partnerships with foreign firms, including U.S. companies.