**The EU is effectively starting to deploy its own secure satellite communication constellation.**

**Thales Alenia Space** (a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%)) has signed an agreement with **Eutelsat** (the operator of the **low-orbit segment of the European IRIS² system**) to manufacture and supply **payloads for 330 telecommunications satellites in low Earth orbit** (66 satellites with Ka-band only, and 264 satellites with Ku/Ka-bands) **for the first phase of the IRIS² project.**

This order represents a tranche of approximately €500 million within the IRIS² project for Thales Alenia Space, with the **total value of the project exceeding €3 billion.**

In addition, Eutelsat plans to invest **approximately €1 billion in 229 additional OneWeb satellites**, built by the company **Airbus Defence and Space**. By 2034, these spacecraft will supplement and expand the network of satellites in low Earth orbit, ensuring service continuity and increasing bandwidth for customers. The company positions **OneWeb as the foundation for the development of the low Earth orbit satellite network _prior to the launch of IRIS²_.**

The **IRIS² satellite constellation project is positioned as a means of ensuring sovereignty in the field of military and government communications.** It aims to create its own **competitive** communication system to replace the American Starlink and Chinese equivalents.

This tool will be **another element in empowering a supranational body to manage European armies** (i.e., **Euro-NATO**).

[Two Majors](http://t.me/two_majors)