The European Union reaches an agreement to launch the IRIS² satellite internet network – IT Pro – News

The European Union and its member states have reached an agreement on the Secure Connection Programme. The European Union will launch a constellation of satellites on the Internet called IRIS². It will be the third satellite constellation in the European Union, after Galileo and Copernicus.

The European Commission confirms that the European Parliament and the EU member states They have reached a political agreement To launch IRIS². This constellation of satellites is to be used for government and defense purposes, such as border control, crisis management and secure communication between European embassies. The space network should serve, among other things, as a support for terrestrial communication methods in the event of major failures or disasters.

The European Union writes that the network should also be able to be used by private companies Article with further explanation. For example, companies can use the IRIS² constellation to provide B2B services or to provide broadband Internet across Europe and Africa, including in places that have not been covered traditionally.

The European Union will invest 2.4 billion euros in the satellite network. The private sector must contribute the remaining required €3.6 billion, Reuters writes. The network is being built step by step. According to the current schedule, IRIS² will be online for the first time around 2024. The network should be fully operational by 2027. According to Reuters, as many as 170 satellites will be launched in the coming years. Low Earth orbit.

The European Commission already came up with a plan in February to launch its own space communications system for government purposes and broadband internet. Then I published Tweakers Backstory on the IRIS² plans and their criticisms.