What is IRIS² Programme?

About IRIS² Programme:

• It is the European Union’s third flagship programme, designed to offer connectivity services to governmental users as well as private companies and individuals.
• According to the European Space Agency (ESA), IRIS² will use both Medium Earth Orbit and Low Earth Orbit satellites.
• It will provide secure connectivity and high-speed broadband in zones where network connectivity is low or unavailable.
• Its interlinked satellites which comprise of 264 and 18 satellites in low and medium Earth orbits respectively will enable it to offer secure high-speed internet connectivity without needing thousands of satellites.
• It is developed in partnership with SpaceRISE, an alliance of leading European satellite operators and space companies
• Applications:
  • It will “support a large variety of governmental applications”, with a focus on border and maritime surveillance, crisis management, connection and security of key infrastructure and security and defence of important.
  • The system can also be used for maritime, railway, aviation, automotive, smart energy grid management, banking, overseas industrial activities, remote healthcare and enhancing rural connectivity.
  • It will also offer mobile and fixed broadband satellite access, cloud-based services and can also be used in the transportation sector to navigate areas with no or low connectivity.

Q1:Low Earth Orbit (LEO)?

LEO has an altitude between 160 km to 1000 km above the Earth’s surface. Satellites in this orbit take approximately 88 – 127 minutes to circle Earth.

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