Aerospacelab wins €2.4 billion deal to build majority of IRIS² satellites

Belgian satellite manufacturer Aerospacelab secured an agreement valued at approximately €2.4 billion to build the majority of spacecraft planned for the IRIS² secure-connectivity constellation. The award positions its high-volume production approach at the center of a European network intended to deliver resilient government, defense and commercial communications while reducing dependence on non-European operators. The contract is a major industrial scale-up rather than proof that the constellation is already operational; factory expansion, payload integration, launch scheduling and acceptance testing must remain aligned for initial services planned near the end of the decade.