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.
News: What is IRIS², the European Union’s answer to Elon Musk’s Starlink?
Last updated on July, 2025
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