As Ireland marks 50 years working with the European Space Agency, Irish businesses are reaching for the stars.
Ireland’s space sector has reached a new milestone, with domestic companies securing €24 million in European Space Agency (ESA) contracts in 2024, according to figures published by Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
The total represents the highest annual value to date, more than doubling the €9.9 million achieved in 2023.
“This underlines the return on Ireland’s investment in ESA and the value of international collaboration in driving innovation and sustainable growth”
The findings are contained in the Space Activities in Ireland 2024 report, released ahead of the ESA Council of Ministers meeting in Bremen this week. Minister of State for Employment, Small Businesses and Retail, Alan Dillon, is leading the Irish delegation at the event, which brings together representatives from 23 member states to set priorities for the decade ahead.
The full Space Activities in Ireland 2024 report is available here
For examples of Irish businesses excelling in space tech, click here
Out of this world ambition
“Irish companies have demonstrated extraordinary capability and ambition,” Dillon said. “2024 was the most successful financial year yet for Irish space enterprises, with €24 million in ESA contracts secured. This underlines the return on Ireland’s investment in ESA and the value of international collaboration in driving innovation and sustainable growth.”
The report highlights a surge in participation since the launch of the National Space Strategy for Enterprise in 2019. A total of 116 Irish firms have now engaged with ESA programmes, up from around 30 a decade ago. Recent achievements include Ubotica’s AI-powered CogniSAT-6 satellite, Réaltra’s flight systems on ESA’s Ariane 6 launcher, and ÉireComposites’ advanced materials for satellite communications.
Jenny Melia, chief executive of Enterprise Ireland, said the sector is now “firmly positioned as a hub of innovation,” with technologies extending beyond space into areas such as quantum communications, renewable energy and climate solutions.
“Enterprise Ireland is proud to support these companies in competing and collaborating on the global stage through our work with ESA and the ESA Business Incubation Centre network,” she added.
The report also points to growing links between space and sustainability, with Irish-developed solutions supporting Earth observation, biodiversity monitoring and climate adaptation. ESA BIC Ireland and the Irish Space Association have played a role in nurturing start-ups, while the newly established ESA Phi-Lab Ireland, operated by IMR and AMBER, will focus on next-generation materials and hardware.
The publication coincides with Ireland’s first national presence at Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen earlier this month, where nine Irish firms exhibited. The event attracts more than 8,000 professionals and 700 exhibitors annually, offering a platform for companies to showcase technologies and forge partnerships.
Ireland was a founding member of ESA in 1975. The agency’s 50th anniversary comes as Europe seeks to expand investment in exploration, research and commercial innovation. The global space technology market, valued at €436.69 billion in 2024, is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 7.45 per cent to reach €896.19 billion by 2034.
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