Europe backs secure satellite communications with multibillion euro package

by Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) Nov 28, 2025

European governments have backed a 2.1 billion euro funding package to expand secure satellite communications services, confirming support for space-based connectivity at the European Space Agency Council meeting at Ministerial Level in Bremen, Germany. The subscription will finance new and extended programmes intended to strengthen resilience, security and capacity in the satellite telecommunications sector for Europe and Canada.

ESA will direct the funding through its connectivity and secure communications portfolio, including the ARTES 4.0 (Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems) programme. ARTES is designed to move technologies and services from concept to operational use, giving companies a framework to test and mature satellite communications hardware, software and applications before they enter the commercial market.

Activities under ARTES cover geostationary satellites, non-geostationary constellations and ground segment infrastructure, and have supported developments ranging from optical and quantum links to satellite-enabled 5G systems. The latest subscription will continue support for projects such as HummingSat and Novacom, which aim to keep European industry active in the geostationary communications satellite segment.

The funding will also advance optical and quantum communications capabilities intended to reduce dependence on non-European providers and improve protection against interception or disruption. The HydRON initiative focuses on an optical communications network in space, including an expanding set of optical ground stations, to enable high-capacity data transfer described as an internet in space.

Quantum key distribution will receive dedicated support through missions including SAGA, which contributes to the European Union's EuroQCI infrastructure, as well as Eagle-1, Eagle neXt and QKDSat. These missions are planned to test and demonstrate secure distribution of cryptographic keys via satellites, which can then connect into governmental and commercial networks on the ground.

ESA's connectivity programmes will also work toward closer integration of terrestrial and satellite 5G and future networks to provide continuous coverage across urban, rural and remote regions. The agency expects this work to support emerging direct-to-device services, in which standard user handsets connect directly to satellites for messaging, voice or data when out of reach of ground networks.

Aviation, maritime and cybersecurity applications form another pillar of the investment plan, with a focus on safety-related and operational communications. ESA highlighted the Iris Global system for air traffic management, which uses satellite links to support more efficient and lower-emission flight routes, and announced further work to safeguard radio-frequency spectrum against interference.

Part of the new subscription is linked to Europe's Secure Connectivity initiative IRIS2, for which ESA will qualify and validate a multi-orbit satellite constellation led by the SpaceRISE industrial consortium. IRIS2 is intended to provide government and commercial users with secure communications capacity and to serve as a basis for future space-based connectivity services.

The evolution of IRIS2 is set to underpin ESA's European Resilience from Space concept, which combines communications, Earth observation and navigation data to support emergency response and other time-critical operations. By linking these capabilities, authorities could receive near-real-time situational information along with robust links for coordination and decision-making.

ESA's Moonlight programme is another beneficiary of the decisions taken in Bremen, with ministers agreeing to continue development of lunar communications and navigation infrastructure. Moonlight aims to deploy dedicated satellites and surface equipment to provide communications and positioning services for the many missions expected to operate around and on the Moon in the coming decade.

ESA's Director of Connectivity and Secure Communications, Laurent Jaffart, said decisions at the ministerial conference will shape how ESA responds to Europe's growing demand for reliable, resilient and secure connectivity. He noted that with a subscription exceeding 2 billion euros, ESA plans to work with Member States, the European Commission and partners to reinforce Europe's leadership, autonomy and competitiveness in satellite communications.