Sateliot selected by ESA to contribute to the Low-LEO layer of Europe’s IRIS²

• Under the RESCUE-NET project, the Barcelona-based operator will explore future-oriented services enabled by next generation Direct-to-Device and secure IoT connectivity solutions for European governmental users within ESA’s IRIS² Low-LEO Pre-Operational and De-Risk Activities.

Barcelona, 17 September 2026.- Sateliot has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to take part in the Consolidation Phase of the ESA’s IRIS² Low-LEO Pre-operational and De-risk Activities, contributing under a project named RESCUE-NET (Resilient European Sovereign Communications Unified Ecosystem – NTN).

Within the activity, Sateliot will study future-oriented Direct-to-Device (D2D) and secure IoT connectivity use cases. The company will define the way how non-terrestrial network (NTN) capabilities, built on the 3GPP standard for satellite and terrestrial convergence, can extend resilient, sovereign communications to European governmental users. The scenarios range from continuity of service to emergency and remote connectivity where terrestrial networks fall short.

“Being selected by ESA for contributing to the Low-LEO layer of IRIS² with our project RESCUE-NET helps consolidating the architecture and future network concepts required for European sovereignty. Our job is to detail how standard 5G connectivity from space can give governments a resilient, independent link when it matters most, providing continuity of service in emergencies in places where terrestrial networks are unavailable,” said Jaume Sanpera, CEO of Sateliot.

“Secure and resilient connectivity is fundamental to Europe’s resilience and strategic autonomy. ESA – hand-in-hand with the European Commission and industry – is therefore looking ahead, exploring the capabilities and technologies that can help Europe meet its future connectivity needs. The work we are launching today is an important part of that effort and will help shape the continued evolution of IRIS²,” said Laurent Jaffart, Director of ESA’s Resilience, Navigation and Connectivity.

Europe’s path to sovereign connectivity

IRIS², the EU’s third flagship space programme after Galileo and Copernicus, is being built in stages. Sateliot’s contract in that track is RESCUE-NET. It runs as Sateliot prepares to launch its next-generation Tritó satellites in 2027. “The bigger picture is sovereignty. A Europe that controls its own connectivity, from the standard it runs on to where its data is kept, is a stronger Europe. That is the future we want Sateliot to help build, and RESCUE-NET is a real step toward it,” added Jaume Sanpera, CEO of Sateliot.

About Sateliot

Sateliot is a European satellite telecommunications company headquartered in Barcelona, founded in 2018. It has deployed the first LEO satellite constellation under the 3GPP standard (Release 17 NTN), enabling commercial NB-IoT NTN standard devices to connect directly from space with discontinuous coverage and a novel store-and-forward approach. Its technology seamlessly integrates terrestrial and satellite networks to provide affordable 5G IoT connectivity wherever conventional infrastructure does not reach, evolving to real-time 5G NR D2D access. As a strategic player for European digital sovereignty, Sateliot promotes secure and accessible connectivity and plans to launch its next-generation Tritó satellites in 2027, pioneering 5G NR from space to eliminate coverage gaps and democratize connectivity for dual-use applications worldwide.

About ESA Programme Related to EU Secure Connectivity

Under the overall responsibility of the European Commission, IRIS² is a bold endeavour to build a space-based secure and resilient connectivity network that elevates Europe’s strategic autonomy and competitiveness, where and when it matters most. ESA acts on behalf of the European Commission as the qualification and validation authority for the governmental infrastructure of the Union Secure Connectivity Programme. It manages development and validation contracts supporting the initial space and ground segments, verifies end-to-end system, service, and security performance against EC requirements, and coordinates these activities with ESA’s own programme.
Within this programme, the IRIS² Low-LEO Pre-Operational and De-Risk Activities components provide a rapid and recurrent mechanism for validating potential new governmental services and associated mission concepts in orbit up to a pre-operational level, subject to successful maturation and later programme level decisions of integration into the operational EU IRIS² baseline.

Ultimately, these activities aim at contributing to the continued evolution and enhancement of IRIS² services and capabilities, supporting Europe’s long-term leadership in space in an ever-changing world.

Learn more at: https://resilience.esa.int/esa-programme-related-to-eu-secure-connectivity-and-iris%C2%B2