Madrid is moving to give its military an independent communications backbone in orbit, committing between €1.6B and €2B ($1.8B to $2.3B) to a national constellation tied to Europe’s IRIS2 network.
The plan surfaced July 29 at a meeting of Spain’s National Committee for Technological Security and Sovereignty, where the Defense Ministry added the Multi-Orbit SATCOM special modernization program to its 2026 spending list. Funding covers the space segment, the ground control and management segment, and operations across the system’s lifetime. Officials did not say how many satellites the constellation would include.
The network would integrate into IRIS2, the EU’s €10.6B multi-orbit broadband program designed to guarantee secure governmental communications and reduce Europe’s dependence on systems such as Starlink. Brussels plans 292 satellites, with full operational capability expected by 2030.
European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius praised Madrid’s move, which follows Poland’s commitment of about $749M days earlier. Warsaw will finance six MEO and six LEO satellites plus a gateway ground station.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez first signaled the IRIS2 co-financing plan in May, framing it as a step toward European space sovereignty. His government has pointed to a domestic sector that pulled in about €1.5B last year and employs roughly 8,000 people as evidence the country can anchor such a program.
