EU and South Korea Join Hands in Space with IRIS² Satellite Deal

The European Union and South Korea have signed an administrative agreement to deepen cooperation on IRIS², the EU’s planned multi-orbit satellite constellation. Defense and Space Commissioner Andrius Kubilius formalised the deal during a signing ceremony with South Korean representatives in Brussels. The arrangement establishes a framework for cooperation between Brussels and Seoul on secure space communications, orbital security, and satellite technology.

IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnection and Security by Satellite) is Europe's ambition to build a sovereign, high-security satellite network. Designed to provide encrypted communications for governments, military applications, and critical infrastructure—while bringing broadband internet to coverage blackspots—it is intended to reduce Europe's reliance on foreign commercial systems like SpaceX's Starlink. Partnering with South Korea, a global tech powerhouse, helps reinforce supply chains, share technical expertise, and ensure that Europe's military and civilian communications systems remain compatible with trusted international allies.

In the EU bubble, satellite policy is the ultimate arena where grand rhetoric about strategic autonomy collides with technical procurement schedules. Signing an 'Administrative Arrangement'—the EU institutional equivalent of exchanging contact details before deciding who pays for dinner—allows civil servants in Brussels and Seoul to begin technical cooperation without waiting for the lengthy, multi-year national ratifications required for full formal treaties. For the Commission, bringing non-EU partners into IRIS² is a delicate balancing act: the project must remain strictly European enough to preserve sovereign control, yet open enough to tap into allied technology and shared costs.

Following the signing, joint technical workstreams between European and South Korean officials will begin aligning security protocols and exploring satellite supply chain cooperation. The Commission will continue steering IRIS² through its deployment phase, with initial operational services scheduled to go live over the coming years as satellite launches are rolled out.