Aerospacelab and Thales Alenia Space have secured IRIS2 contracts expected to total more than €5.4 billion, covering satellite platforms and communications payloads for the European Union’s secure communications constellation. While the company didn’t disclose the contract value, Airbus has been selected to build and integrate the first 66 satellites in the constellation’s low Earth orbit component.
The three companies announced the contracts on 10 September, awarded by Eutelsat, the SpaceRISE consortium member leading development of the IRIS2 constellation’s low Earth orbit (LEO) component.
Aerospacelab secured a €2.4 billion contract to design, manufacture and deliver 264 satellite platforms. The spacecraft will be equipped with dual Ku/Ka-band communications payloads and are expected to begin launching in 2030.
The remaining 66 satellite platforms in the 330-satellite LEO component of the constellation will be built by Airbus Defence and Space. The spacecraft will feature Ka-band communications payloads and are expected to be delivered in 2029 as part of what is referred to as the LEO component’s first layer.
Thales Alenia Space signed an agreement with Eutelsat covering the governmental communications payloads for all 330 satellites. The initial order is worth approximately €500 million, although the company said the contract’s total value is expected to exceed €3 billion.
Both Aerospacelab and Airbus Defence and Space will be responsible for integrating the communications payloads with their respective satellite platforms and delivering the fully integrated spacecraft.
The new contracts follow the first major industrial award under the IRIS2 concession, which was awarded by SES to Germany’s OHB on 31 August. Worth almost €1 billion, the contract covers the development and production of all 18 satellite platforms for the constellation’s medium Earth orbit component. With the Aerospacelab and Airbus contracts, orders have been placed for all 348 satellite platforms expected to make up the currently planned IRIS2 constellation.
