# Scaling Up IRIS² to Meet Evolving Demands  ## Metadata - Author: Debra Werner - Full Title: Scaling Up IRIS² to Meet Evolving Demands - Category: #articles - Summary: The European Commission is building IRIS², a secure satellite network with 290 satellites to support military, civil, and commercial needs. The project aims to grow over time and improve technology for better speed, resilience, and connectivity with 5G and future 6G. IRIS² is smaller than other big constellations and focuses on Europe’s security and data protection. - URL: https://spacenews.com/scaling-up-iris%c2%b2-to-meet-evolving-demands/ ## Highlights - As to whether the IRIS² program is ambitious enough, Guillermin called the 290-satellite constellation “a minimum viable product” designed for scalability. “It’s absolutely possible to insert satellites later to develop new services that are built on top of the current architecture,” he said. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k645d8abg0z0g8cbacndrjda)) - Unlike Starlink and Kuiper, massive constellations designed for consumer broadband, IRIS² will include hundreds of satellites to provide services for European government agencies and businesses. “IRIS² is not a megaconstellation,” Diris said. “It’s a constellation for our sovereignty, for protection of our data and continuity of service. It’s very important to see that Europe is intervening not against the megaconstellations but in complementarity.” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k645eh0t2hbhcjx1qas95qne))