Ukraine has begun negotiations on joining the European IRIS² satellite system
The European Commission has begun negotiations with Ukraine on joining the EU's secure satellite communications system. This concerns access to GOVSATCOM and the future IRIS² constellation, which is intended to provide secure communications for government agencies, military and critical infrastructure.
This is reported by Euractiv. The European Commission previously confirmed Ukraine's preparations for connection to both European satellite communications systems.
Ukraine's access requires a separate international agreement with the EU, since government satellite communications services are considered sensitive security systems. The EU Council authorized the relevant negotiations as early as March 9, 2026.
The European Commission notes that the connection should help Ukraine coordinate military operations, protect critical infrastructure and maintain sustainable secure communications both during the war and in the post-war reconstruction period.
What is IRIS²
IRIS² is the European Union's flagship satellite program, which Brussels is developing as its own secure communications infrastructure. It is intended to reduce Europe's dependence on foreign commercial satellite operators and provide EU government and defense structures with independent communication channels.
In August, the European Commission and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an agreement on the full-scale deployment of IRIS². After a project revision, the main constellation is to consist of 348 satellites: 330 in low Earth orbit and 18 in medium Earth orbit. The first launches are scheduled for 2029.
The system is to provide secure communications to government institutions, military, security and emergency response services. After the latest project expansion, the European Commission expects to increase available government satellite capacity within the EU by 60%, and globally by 54%.
Before the full launch of IRIS², GOVSATCOM is already operating in the EU — a system that pools the existing government satellite capacities of EU member states and provides them to authorized users. The first GOVSATCOM services started in January 2026, and IRIS² capabilities are to be integrated into the system's catalog at a later stage.
Thus, if the negotiations are completed, Ukraine will be able to gain access to European secure satellite infrastructure even before the full deployment of IRIS², and later to use the capabilities of the new constellation.
Space cooperation between Ukraine and the EU has been expanding for several years. In April 2025, the parties signed an agreement allowing Ukraine to participate in certain components of the EU space program, including the Earth observation system Copernicus.
Sources: Euractiv, European Commission
