On January 27 (local time), Andrius Kubilius, the EU Commissioner responsible for Space Affairs, announced that the EU's government satellite communication initiative was formally initiated the previous week. This program consolidates the existing satellite communication capabilities of the governments across the 27 member states. Its primary goal is to diminish Europe's dependence on foreign providers for space-based communications. Additionally, it empowers governments to lease secure communication capabilities from one another for sensitive missions.

This initiative also lays the groundwork as a pivotal precursor project for the EU's satellite communication constellation endeavor, IRIS2. The IRIS2 project is designed to furnish relevant departments with secure space-based communication services. At present, the program encompasses eight satellites from five different countries. It aims to boost bandwidth and widen coverage. The initial batch of services under this plan is projected to commence in 2029. By the close of 2024, the European Space Agency, along with other entities, had inked contracts. These agreements outline a plan to allocate 10.55 billion euros over a 12-year span for the development and deployment of IRIS2.