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SpaceTech Ireland

SpaceTech Ireland

News, Explainers And Irish Angles On The Space Economy

Dublin's Pilot Photonics picked up two wins at OFC 2026 in Los Angeles, landing a deal with UK startup Finchetto and joining an industry standards body alongside Microsoft. The European Commission opened its €91 million Horizon Europe space call with a September deadline - we break down where Irish companies fit. And Cork has a stake in a ‘Lost in Space’ comeback story...

EIC Accelerator Overhaul

Ireland's student rocketry programme reaches a new milestone, Europe's most commercial space gathering sends a clear message on supply chains and compliance, and a cluster of EU funding deadlines - including one closing in two weeks.News, Explainers, and Irish Angles on the Space Economy.

Phi-Lab Ireland's First Tenants

Irish firms are turning up in some unexpected places - inside the structure of a gravitational wave detector, on the floor at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, at a semiconductor expo in Seoul. Northern Ireland’s ‘space ready’ firms are at London’s Space-Comm Expo en masse. There’s a notable funding deadline on March 27 and Phi-Lab in Mullingar has named its first two Irish tenants.

€42 Million, 6 Months, 3 Calls: A Plain-English Guide to Horizon Europe's March Space Round

Three Horizon Europe space calls worth nearly €42 million open on 10 March - and the government has just launched an action plan to help Irish SMEs land a bigger share. We break down what's on offer and how to start a bid. Plus: Phi-Lab Mullingar reveals its first two tenants, and Constellr's €37 million round shows where European defence money is heading.News, Explainers, and Irish Angles on the Space Economy.

ESA Phi-Lab Launches in Mullingar

ESA formally planted its flag in Mullingar with the launch of Phi-Lab Ireland, the agency's first dedicated innovation outpost in the country, and announced a second funding round opening within weeks. UCD unveiled Setanta Space, a new start-up working on autonomous spacecraft operations. Across Europe, three defence-linked deals show where the money is heading.

Réaltra Cameras Fly on Ariane 64's Amazon Debut

Europe's heavy-lift Ariane 64 launches carrying Dublin firm Realtra’s camera system marking the start of a lucrative partnership with Amazon’s satellite arm. InnaLabs secures its second ESA planetary defence contract on the €81 million Ramses asteroid mission, and 22 Irish space companies travelled to Toulouse for matchmaking sessions with French aerospace firms. The jobs market remains hot: ESA has opened over 100 graduate trainee positions while Mbryonics and InnaLabs continue a major hiring push.

Irish Tech Flies on Amazon's First European Launch

Ireland's space sector is hiring. 50+ roles are live this week, from Mbryonics' Galway expansion to fresh ESA Graduate Trainee openings and ground-segment engineering posts in Noordwijk. We're tracking final preparations for Ireland's National Space Strategy, Amazon's first European satellite launch carrying Irish technology, and how EIRSAT-1's flight data is shaping the next generation of Irish spacecraft systems.

ESA-Phi Lab Ireland Doubles Funding Opportunities

ESA Phi-Lab Ireland doubles funding opportunities with its February call - Irish manufacturers now have two annual shots at €400,000 grants for space-grade hardware development. France pushes a "Buy European Act" that could accelerate demand for Irish firms supplying to ESA programmes. UCD and Maynooth publish research on bacteria in space, targeting crop cultivation for Moon and Mars missions. Plus: 40+ roles open at Irish space companies including Mbryonics, Réaltra, and InnaLabs, with 100+ European jobs open to Irish passport holders.