Thales Alenia Space agrees to €500 million contract for 330 EU IRIS² satellite payloads
Thales Alenia Space secured a €500 million order with Eutelsat to provide payloads for 330 of the European Union's IRIS² satellites. This specific deal is part of a larger expected contract worth over €3 billion.
On Thursday, Thales Alenia Space confirmed an agreement with satellite operator Eutelsat to supply technical equipment known as payloads for 330 low Earth orbit satellites under the EU's IRIS² program. The signed contract represents a single transe worth approximately €500 million or $582 million. Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between France's Thales and Italy's Leonardo, stated the gear is designed to support a secure space-based 5G network for government and armed forces use. Features include in-orbit traffic routing, active interference management, and secure communications. The IRIS² constellation aims to offer European sovereignty against non-European alternatives. Eutelsat will transport the payloads on their satellites. Launches for the first 66 satellites are scheduled beginning in 2029. The broader IRIS² contract is projected to exceed €3 billion. Some observers note that Germany is developing a separate national military network, which could impact European coordination and costs.
