Luxembourg to host a satellite network control centre
Planet Volumes, Unsplash
Luxembourg has offered the LuxConnect site in Bettembourg to host one of the key IRIS² project management centers. In addition, a two-hectare site will be allocated for the installation of antennas. This strategic decision puts Luxembourg on a par with centers such as Fucino in Italy and Toulouse in France.
The country's role is enhanced by the participation of SES, which leads the SpaceRISE consortium. SES will take over the design, implementation and management of the IRIS² system, which will be the basis for highly secure satellite communications that meet Europe's digital sovereignty and security requirements.
IRIS² is an ambitious EU initiative to provide reliable and innovative satellite communications. It addresses three key challenges:
- ensuring Europe's digital sovereignty;
- building sustainable infrastructures;
- Providing global coverage for government, commercial and institutional needs.
The system will include elements of quantum communication under the EuroQCI programme, further strengthening Luxembourg's leadership in the high-tech sector.
Luxembourg's Minister of Economy, Lex Delles, said that participation in the IRIS² project confirms Luxembourg's strategic importance in cutting-edge innovation: "This initiative reinforces our role in creating a more sustainable and digitalised Europe."
For his part, Prime Minister Luc Frieden emphasised that IRIS² is a crucial step in achieving European strategic ambitions: "We are proud that Luxembourg is supporting such an ambitious project".
The location of the IRIS² control centre will strengthen the country's position as a hub for space technology and create high value-added jobs. LuxConnect, a wholly state-owned company, will take over the maintenance and management of the infrastructure, emphasising the importance of national resources in the implementation of European projects.
