Airbus Defence and Space, a unit of Airbus Group (OTC: EADSY), has signed an initial contract to design and build the first layer of satellites for Europe's IRIS² constellation, according to a company press release.

The contract was awarded by Eutelsat, which is responsible for the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) segment of the constellation within the SpaceRISE consortium. The agreement enables both Airbus and Thales Alenia Space to begin work on the first satellite layer.

IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) is an EU space program intended to deliver connectivity solutions to governments and commercial operators across Europe.

Airbus and Thales Alenia Space are jointly responsible for the first LEO layer, which will consist of at least 66 satellites scheduled for delivery in 2029. This layer is designated as the sovereign pillar of the IRIS² project and will provide military Ka-band services to European users.

Airbus will produce the satellite platforms and handle integration at its serial production facility in Toulouse, France, which is also currently building a new batch of OneWeb satellites for Eutelsat. Thales Alenia Space will supply the payload.

Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space, said the company is "fully committed to delivering this critical first layer," citing its experience in large-scale LEO constellation production.

The contract was signed during the International Space Summit held in Paris on September 9 and 10, 2026.