The French defense procurement agency (DGA) has awarded the contract for the IRIS program to lead-contractor Airbus Defense and Space and co-contractor Thales Alenia Space (TAS). IRIS represents the next generation of extremely high-resolution Earth observation satellites for the French Armed Forces.
The contract covers the detailed conception, manufacture and testing for two satellites, as well as the control and user ground segments, plus in-orbit operations and maintenance. Scheduled to run until the end of the 2030s, the contract represents more than one and a half billion euros for the entire consortium.
“With this contract, Airbus Defense and Space is contributing to France’s sovereignty and strategic autonomy,” said Alain Fauré, Head of Space Systems at Airbus Defense and Space. “In addition, this program strengthens the French supply chain in space-based optical imagery.”
The IRIS satellites will replace the CSO (Optical Space Component) satellites of the MUSIS (Multinational Spacebased Imaging System) program to secure France’s operational image-origin intelligence (IMINT) capability from space. The IRIS program aims to ensure the continuity of this capability whilst improving performance – higher image quality and lower latency to make images available faster – to meet the needs of the armed forces in a rapidly changing strategic environment.
Airbus will provide both satellite platforms, a significant share of the first satellite’s payload, and be responsible for the ground segment. TAS will develop a next-generation payload for the second satellite, provide critical elements for the first payload, and contribute to the ground segment.
Just as the MUSIS program – which involves eight European partners – the IRIS program remains fully open to international cooperation, granting allied nations access to the French system.
