Airbus and Thales Alenia Space Awarded €1.5 Billion French Military Satellite Contract

Airbus and Thales Alenia Space won a French military contract worth more than €1.5 billion ($1.67 billion) to build two observation satellites for the IRIS project. The work covers satellite design, manufacturing and testing, ground systems, and in-orbit operations and maintenance, with Airbus leading the platforms and ground segment and both companies contributing to the payloads. The project is expected to continue through the end of the next decade and is intended to support France’s strategic autonomy.