Following months of intensive multinational negotiations in Brussels, European space authorities finalized a significant expansion of the EU’s leading orbital communications system last Friday. The European Commission officially announced the signing of a contract to extend IRIS2 satellite constellation through a binding implementation agreement with the SpaceRISE industrial consortium. This formal agreement marks the end of detailed technical and financial negotiations that began in January 2026, moving the Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite program from planning into full industrial deployment.