Spanish satellite communications company Sateliot will study direct-to-device (D2D) and secure IoT connectivity as part of the European Space Agency (ESA) Iris2 low Earth orbit (LEO) activities.

Sateliot has been selected to take part in the consolidation phase of the Iris² low-LEO pre-operational and de-risk activities, contributing under a project named Rescue-Net, for Resilient European Sovereign Communications Unified Ecosystem – NTN.

Sateliot will study future-oriented D2D and secure IoT connectivity use cases. The company will define the way 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.

“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. 

Laurent Jaffart, director at the ESA (www.esa.int), added: “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.”

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 Tritó satellites in 2027.

“The bigger picture is sovereignty,” said Sanpera. “A Europe that controls its own connectivity, from the standard it runs on to where its data are kept, is a stronger Europe. That is the future we want Sateliot to help build, and Rescue-Net is a real step towards it.”

Founded in 2018, Sateliot (sateliot.space) is a satellite telecommunications company headquartered in Barcelona.

Under the overall responsibility of the European Commission, Iris² (resilience.esa.int/esa-programme-related-to-eu-secure-connectivity-and-iris²) is an endeavour to build a space-based secure and resilient connectivity network that elevates Europe’s autonomy and competitiveness. 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.