SmallSat Europe Speaker Focus: Koen Willems, ST Engineering iDirect Europe

Why It Matters

A robust, EU‑controlled waveform guarantees secure, interoperable communications for IRIS², strengthening European strategic autonomy and opening new market opportunities for defence‑satcom suppliers.

Key Takeaways

• EPW project funded with €65 million (~$71 million) by European Defence Fund
• Consortium includes 22 organizations from 12 EU states, led by iDirect Europe
• Successful over‑air tests proved waveform resists jamming across GEO and LEO
• EPW will secure the €10.6 billion (~$11.5 billion) IRIS² satellite network
• iDirect also wins Raytheon contract for NATO ESSM missile production

Pulse Analysis

The European Protected Waveform (EPW) is a cornerstone of the EU’s IRIS² program, a €10.6 billion (~$11.5 billion) sovereign satellite constellation designed to deliver secure broadband across the continent. Funded through a €65 million (~$71 million) European Defence Fund grant, the EPW initiative brings together 22 partners from 12 member states under Belgium’s Ministry of Defence. By establishing a unified, encrypted signal that operates seamlessly across low‑Earth and medium‑Earth orbits, the project addresses a critical gap in Europe’s ability to control its own space‑based communications infrastructure, reducing reliance on non‑EU technologies.

Technical validation came in November 2025 when the consortium completed over‑air trials at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich. The tests demonstrated that the waveform can withstand sophisticated jamming and cyber‑attack vectors, a prerequisite for both civilian broadband services and military communications. This resilience is especially vital as IRIS² will host a mix of commercial and governmental payloads, requiring a single, interoperable standard that can be adopted by every ground terminal and satellite in the network. The EPW’s cloud‑native, multi‑orbit architecture also positions it as a potential baseline for future European satellite initiatives beyond IRIS².

Beyond the waveform, ST Engineering iDirect Europe is leveraging the EPW momentum to expand its defence portfolio. Recent contracts, such as Raytheon’s selection of iDirect’s Belgian plant for the NATO ESSM Block II missile program and a Satcoms Innovation Group award for its Intuition cloud platform, signal a broader strategic push. As Europe seeks to cement its strategic autonomy in space, the EPW not only safeguards IRIS² but also creates a commercial ecosystem for European satcom manufacturers, fostering innovation and supply‑chain resilience across the continent.