The European Union has quietly crossed a strategic threshold, giving its member states access to a homegrown, secure and encrypted satellite communications network that no longer depends on foreign operators. Branded IRIS², for Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite, the constellation is designed to harden Europe’s digital backbone in crises and to keep sensitive government traffic off commercial systems controlled elsewhere. In a world where space-based internet has become a geopolitical lever, the move signals that Europe intends to be a provider of secure connectivity, not just a customer.
Behind the technical jargon sits a simple political message: the Bloc wants to guarantee that its leaders, militaries and critical services can stay online even if under pressure from hostile states or commercial disputes. The project builds on earlier European space successes, such as the Galileo navigation system, but goes further by promising encrypted broadband links for governments, humanitarian missions and eventually businesses. It is a quiet launch in public-relations terms, but a loud one in strategic significance.
From Galileo to IRIS²: Europe’s secure-space playbook
Europe did not start from scratch when it decided to build a sovereign communications network in orbit. For years, the European Union has invested in its own satellite navigation system, known as Galileo, to avoid relying solely on GPS and other foreign constellations for positioning and timing. That experience, from funding to industrial coordination, created a template for how to run large, multi-country space programs that serve both civilian and strategic needs. IRIS² follows the same logic, but instead of guiding aircraft and smartphones, it is meant to secure the data pipes that connect European institutions and critical infrastructure.
Officials have framed IRIS² as the communications counterpart to Galileo, a system that can underpin everything from secure diplomatic calls to encrypted links for border guards and emergency responders. The Commission has described IRIS² as a multi-orbit architecture that will blend different satellite layers and ground networks to reach users who cannot rely on terrestrial fiber or mobile coverage. By treating secure connectivity as a public good, rather than a luxury add-on, the European Union is signaling that space infrastructure is now part of its core sovereignty toolkit.
What IRIS² actually is: a 290-satellite encrypted backbone
At the heart of the new system is a planned constellation of about 290 satellites that will operate in multiple orbits to provide resilient coverage. The Bloc’s space leadership, including Andrius Kubilius, has presented IRIS² as a secure constellation that can start offering initial services toward the end of this decade, with the full network designed to withstand interference and cyberattacks. By spreading capacity across different orbital shells and satellite types, planners aim to make it harder for any single failure, whether technical or hostile, to knock the system offline.
The European Commission has already signed a concession contract that tasks a consortium of space and telecom companies with building and operating the infrastructure under public oversight. According to Commission documents, IRIS² will constitute a secure communication system for governmental users, humanitarian actors and, in time, business customers that need guaranteed, encrypted links. The architecture is meant to integrate with terrestrial networks so that users can switch seamlessly between fiber, mobile and satellite, depending on what is available and most secure at any given moment.
Member states get “secure and encrypted” access
The political payoff of this technical work is already visible in Brussels, where European Union member states have been told they now have access to European-made “secure and encrypted” satellite communication services. A social media briefing from the bloc’s space Commissio stressed that this capability is not theoretical, but available for national administrations that need protected channels for sensitive operations. For capitals that have watched conflicts and cyber incidents disrupt networks in neighboring regions, the promise of a dedicated, sovereign link is more than a symbolic gesture.
Andrius Kubilius has framed the development as proof that the Bloc can deliver complex space infrastructure that directly serves its citizens and institutions, rather than outsourcing those functions to foreign platforms. In his public remarks, Kubilius has underlined that the European Union now has its own “secure and encrypted” satellite communication system, a phrase that captures both the technical and political ambition behind IRIS². For smaller member states that lack national satellite fleets, being plugged into a shared, encrypted backbone levels the playing field in terms of secure communications capacity.
Rival to Musk’s Starlink, but on Europe’s terms
IRIS² is often described as Europe’s answer to Musk’s Starlink, and the comparison is not accidental. Commercial constellations like Starlink have shown how thousands of small satellites can deliver broadband to remote areas and conflict zones, but they are ultimately controlled by private owners whose decisions can have geopolitical consequences. By contrast, IRIS² is structured as a public-interest system, with the European Union setting security requirements and access rules, even as industry partners handle much of the technical work. The goal is not to copy Starlink’s consumer internet model, but to ensure that Europe is not left dependent on it for critical state functions.
European officials have been explicit that they want to reduce reliance on infrastructure “owned by Elon Musk” for sensitive communications, a point that Jan Kubilius has echoed in his public appearances. In one televised exchange, he noted that the Commission hopes IRIS² will give governments a secure alternative to foreign constellations, a message that aligns with broader efforts to strengthen European technological independence. The quiet launch of IRIS² is therefore less about competing for consumer subscribers and more about ensuring that, in a crisis, European leaders do not have to ask a foreign billionaire for permission to stay connected.
Security, quantum links and the road to 2029
Security is not just a marketing label for IRIS², it is the core design principle. The system is being built to support a wide range of governmental applications, from border surveillance to crisis management and diplomatic communications, with strict requirements for encryption and resilience. Program material from the EU space agency notes that the IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) is intended to cope with connectivity dead zones and to keep functioning even when terrestrial networks are disrupted. That focus reflects lessons from recent crises, where fiber cables and mobile towers have proved vulnerable to both physical attacks and cyber intrusions.
In parallel, Europe is experimenting with next-generation security technologies that could eventually feed into IRIS². In Germany, researchers have unveiled what they describe as First Commercial Quantum, part of a broader “Quantum Leap” that includes Switzerland’s quantum satellite links. These projects aim to use quantum key distribution to make eavesdropping on communications practically impossible, hinting at how future iterations of IRIS² could integrate quantum-secured channels. For now, the constellation relies on advanced classical encryption, but the research pipeline shows that Europe is already thinking about the post-quantum era of secure connectivity.
More from Morning Overview