EU's Kubilius: confident IRIS2 can start initial services in 2029

Eutelsat Communications SA

27/01/2026 08:56

BRUSSELS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The European Union's multi-orbit array of 290 satellites known as IRIS2 should be able to start initial services in 2029, which would mark more progress in the EU's aims to ramp up its space industry, said EU defence and space commissioner Andrius Kubilius.

"I have asked all partners to step up and speed up on IRIS2. I am confident we can already deploy initial services by 2029," said Kubilius in a speech in Brussels.

IRIS2 will provide an encrypted backbone for EU governments and public agencies, and it comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and political tensions with the United States have accelerated Europe's drive to support sensitive assets such as satellites, which increasingly overlap with defence.

 (Reporting by Julia Payne;
Editing by Sudip Kar-Gutpa)

 ((sudip.kargupta@thomsonreuters.com;))