What is IRIS² Programme?

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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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