IRIS² Foundational Study
SATELLITE CONNECTIVITY FOR A SECURE EUROPEAN FUTURE
Hyper-Secure Connectivity
The European Commission sought out Reflex’s expertise to develop an implementation plan for a secure European broadband network in space. The study for this ambitious project was commissioned to give detailed recommendations and the architecture for high-speed, future-proof broadband across Europe. The project’s goal was to address connectivity dead zones and enhance digital sovereignty, with a focus on governmental bodies. Reflex Aerospace led a consortium of 14 European space entities, including contributors such as TTTech, Isar Aerospace, and Mynaric.
What is “Secure Connectivity?”
Secure connectivity means protecting the networks and data that enable a digital society. It can mean adding encryption, authentication, and other cybersecurity measures to ensure data confidentiality and integrity. For systems like IRIS², this is crucial for safeguarding sensitive communications, critical infrastructure, and user privacy against cyber threats and foreign intelligence activities. Secure connectivity is essential to enable governmental services, automotive connectivity, critical utilities/infrastructure, among others.
The Outcome: IRIS²
Reflex and the consortium created a 229 page report (featuring 6 Appendices at over 700 pages) study detailing the results, technical details, and specifications for a constellation meeting the requirements.
The European Union agreed with the conclusions found by the study and began developing the IRIS² project (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) to create the proposed satellite network solution.
