Norway and Iceland have officially confirmed their intention to join the European Union's key satellite initiatives - GOVSATCOM and IRIS². Since these countries are members of the European Economic Area (EEA), their participation will strengthen the security and digital resilience of the entire region.
About the program
GOVSATCOM (Governmental Satellite Communications):
The essence: Creation of a secure satellite communication channel for government needs (military, border guards, rescuers).
Goal: Provide participating countries with guaranteed access to communications in the event of crises or cyber attacks.
IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite):
The essence: The EU's response to Starlink. This is a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).
Goal: Provision of high-speed Internet throughout Europe and the Arctic, as well as support for government communications.
The Arctic region is critical for these countries, where conventional communication is often unstable. Participation in IRIS² will allow them to have reliable coverage at high latitudes. in addition, Norway has a powerful space infrastructure (example, Anneya cosmodrome), which can be used to deploy these constellations.
The accession of these countries also means additional funding and expansion of the industrial base for EU space development.
Source: https://europeanspaceflight.com