Eutelsat signs contracts for 229 more OneWeb satellites, Arianespace launches, and IRIS² buildout partners
Why It MattersThe overlapping OneWeb replenishment and IRIS² buildout deals lock major European aerospace suppliers into a multi-year sovereign and commercial LEO connectivity programme through the end of the decade.
Eutelsat used the International Space Summit in Paris to announce a set of agreements spanning both its OneWeb Low Earth Orbit network and Europe's IRIS² multi-orbit constellation. Eutelsat signed an authorization-to-proceed contract with Airbus Defence and Space for 229 additional Gen 2 LEO satellites, taking the total new OneWeb satellites contracted with Airbus to 669, with initial industrial work starting at Airbus's Toulouse facility and first deliveries from the existing 440-satellite order expected next quarter; the new order is meant to replenish and expand OneWeb through 2034. Eutelsat also signed a launch contract with Arianespace for two dedicated Ariane 64 launches carrying OneWeb replenishment satellites in 2027 and 2028 from French Guiana. In aviation, the current 648-satellite OneWeb constellation is used by SES, Panasonic Avionics, Hughes Network Systems and Gogo, the last of which powers its Galileo inflight connectivity offering for business aviation.
On IRIS², Eutelsat is LEO lead within the SpaceRise consortium alongside SES, which handles the 18-satellite Medium Earth Orbit portion, and Hispasat, which covers the ground segment and a low LEO sublayer. Following the European Commission's conclusion of negotiations with SpaceRise in August, the constellation moved to full-scale deployment and was expanded by 66 additional LEO satellites to a total of 348 satellites, all fitted with optical inter-satellite links, with services expected to begin progressively from 2029. Eutelsat selected Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), to supply government payloads for 330 LEO satellites — 66 Ka-only and 264 dual Ku/Ka — in an order Thales Alenia Space said represents about €500 million of a total IRIS² contract expected to exceed €3 billion. Airbus Defence and Space was chosen to build the first layer of 66 LEO satellites, described as the sovereign pillar of IRIS² delivering military Ka-band connectivity, at the same Toulouse site producing OneWeb Gen 2 satellites. Belgian manufacturer Aerospacelab was selected, after a competitive dialogue with Eutelsat, to build the remaining 264 satellite platforms, with CEO Benoît Deper saying its Megafactory was designed for programmes of this scale.
