The IRIS (Internet Protocol Router in Space) payload from Cisco was carried by the Intelsat 14 satellite launched on 23 November 2009. Unlike previous satellite communications (SATCOM), IRIS allowed the routing of IP packets in orbit across satellite beams.
IRIS provided users with a mobile network allowing them to connect and communicate how, when and where they want, and that continuously adapted to their requirements without reliance on a predefined, fixed infrastructure. By combining IP technology in space with the employment of multiple payloads on spacecraft with excess payload capacity, an opening for an entirely new communications command and control service is established that will support the rapidly expanding growth of the UAV market.
This is one of the forecasts contained in a new report, titled: “Military Space Requirements – Markets and Technologies Forecast”