Kinéis, the French satellite constellation operator dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT) and AIS(opens in new tab), announces that it has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead the ALCYON project, a study dedicated to the future of maritime and aeronautical surveillance. This project, is part of the Low LEO layer of the European IRIS² program, the low-orbit segment of the future European sovereign constellation.
IRIS², a constellation for European sovereignty
Backed by the European Union and ESA, the IRIS² program (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) aims to equip Europe with a constellation of satellites in low and medium orbit, capable of providing secure connectivity services to Member States, institutions and businesses. It is in this strategic context that ESA entrusted the development of the ALCYON project to a consortium led by Kinéis, as a part of the IRIS2 Low-LEO Pre-Operational and De-Risk Activities within the ESA Programme Related to EU Secure Connectivity.
ALCYON, a demonstrator for two key services
ALCYON is an IOV (In-Orbit Validation) mission, designed to validate under real conditions two types of services made possible by the future IRIS² LEO constellation:
• maritime surveillance, to improve the tracking and identification of vessels worldwide;
• aeronautical surveillance, to strengthen air traffic tracking.
On the maritime side, ALCYON relies on VDES (VHF Data Exchange System), a technology that extends AIS by enabling, in addition to simple vessel detection, genuine two-way data exchange with ships. On the aeronautical side, the demonstrator is based on satellite reception of ADS-B, a technology that makes it possible to track air traffic even over the oceans, where ground-based radars cannot reach.
This demonstrator will provide a concrete assessment of the contribution a low-orbit constellation can make to these two applications, with expected benefits for maritime safety, air traffic management, the fight against illegal fishing, and environmental monitoring.
A European industrial consortium
To carry out this project, Kinéis (prime contractor and system operator) is relying on a consortium bringing together well-established players in the space and satellite surveillance sector:
• Thales Alenia Space – France, for the space segment and ADS-B payloads;
• Satlab, for the VDES payloads;
• Sternula, for VDES operations;
• ESSP, for air traffic surveillance services.
This industrial alliance illustrates the ability of the European space ecosystem to mobilise around the sovereignty issues carried by IRIS².
Recognition of French expertise
Kinéis has been operating, since 2025, its constellation of 25 nanosatellites dedicated to collecting IoT data around the world, along with an already operational AIS vessel-tracking service. ESA’s selection of the ALCYON project confirms recognition of its expertise in the field of satellite-based surveillance.
Next steps
The ALCYON project will now enter a four-month consolidation phase, with the aim of cospecifying, together with ESA and the selected partners, the future in-orbit demonstrator dedicated to maritime and aeronautical surveillance for the future Low LEO layer of the IRIS² constellation.