ESA Iris Programme Completes Phase One

As a part of the Single European Skies ATM Research (SESAR) joint undertaking, the Iris Precursor Programme phase one completion takes Europe another step closer to its goal of creating the worlds most advanced air traffic management infrastructure.

Now, with phase one completed, another €7.6 million of funding will now be made available by the European Space Agency (ESA) and its partners to commence phase two, which will focus on the satellite network overlay.

ESA’s Iris Precursor Programme is operating in partnership with Inmarsat, the well-known British satellite company and will provide the means to streamline the current ATM system and allow aircraft to use Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) to its maximum efficiency, increasing safety significantly over Europe.