Thales Alenia Space wins French military satellite contract alongside Airbus
Thales Alenia Space received a French defense procurement agency contract on Nov. 9, 2026, to jointly develop the IRIS military satellite system with Airbus Defence and Space.
1. IRIS satellite program
IRIS will comprise two military optical observation satellites and associated ground infrastructure, progressively replacing the three CSO satellites. Thales Alenia Space will build imaging systems for the first satellite, with a higher-performance observation instrument planned for the second.
2. Joint venture ownership
The joint venture is 67% owned by Thales and 33% by Leonardo.
