Brussels, (Unib Rashid) – The European Union is moving ahead with an ambitious space programme to strengthen its strategic autonomy, defence capabilities and critical communications, with plans to deploy a network of 348 satellites by 2029.

According to the European Commission, the plan for a European satellite network comprising 348 satellites is now moving towards implementation.

The Commission said negotiations to fully operationalise the IRIS² satellite network have been completed. The network is expected to provide secure and sovereign communications across the European Union by 2029, supporting emergency services as well as defence and other critical governmental requirements.

The IRIS² programme is intended to strengthen Europe’s resilience and reduce reliance on external communication infrastructure, particularly for sensitive security and emergency applications.

The satellite network is expected to play an important role in enhancing the EU’s strategic and technological autonomy while providing secure connectivity for critical services across member states.