The Italian government has approved Phase 2 of a feasibility study exploring the possibility of the country developing an alternative to the IRIS2 secure communications constellation.
In late 2024, the Interministerial Committee for Space and Aerospace Policies (Comint) tasked the Italian Space Agency (ASI) with conducting a feasibility study on the development of a sovereign secure communications satellite constellation. In March 2025, ASI delivered the initial study to the government. On 28 March, the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy announced that it would move ahead with Phase 2, signaling a seemingly favourable response to the agency’s findings.
The second phase of the feasibility study will see ASI consult with interested industry partners to assess Italy’s capability to develop the constellation.
“ASI will meet with our companies to understand if they are capable, on their own, of creating the constellation,” said the Minister for Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso.
Phase 2 is expected to be completed by September, after which a more detailed projection of the project, including its potential cost, will become clear.
While few details of the feasibility study’s findings have been made public, the Italian financial newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore has reported that the constellation would comprise around 100 satellites and could be delivered within five years. In addition to meeting its own needs, the Italian government has proposed offering the service to other countries.
A secure communications constellation would be the second large constellation of satellites Italy has taken on. The country is currently developing IRIDE, an Earth observation constellation that will comprise over 60 satellites and will cost approximately €1.3 billion. The constellation will include a mix of optical, radar, panchromatic, multispectral, hyperspectral, and infrared instruments and is expected to be fully operational by June 2026.
