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Dublin Shines a Light on the Future of Space Communication

This week in Dublin, some of the brightest minds in European space science have been gathering for a behind-the-scenes look at a quiet revolution: the future of how we connect across the planet, and even beyond it.

Hosted by the European Space Agency (ESA), the ScyLight Conference brings together engineers, scientists, and policy-makers working on optical and quantum communication — technologies that swap radio signals for beams of light and the weird properties of quantum physics to create ultra-fast, ultra-secure communication networks.

These aren’t far-off sci-fi concepts. ESA is actively developing satellites that will use laser links to beam data between space and Earth, offering speeds thousands of times faster than current systems.

At the heart of these efforts is ESA’s ScyLight programme, short for “Secure and Laser Communication Technology.” The Dublin conference is a kind of waypoint to see how Europe’s quest to lead in this fast-emerging space is going.

Projects on display include HydRON, a vision for a space-based Internet backbone that would complement fibre-optic cables on the ground and bring high-speed access to even the most remote locations on Earth, or in orbit.

So while the ScyLight Conference might not make headlines, what’s being discussed in Dublin this week is extraordinary. The people in the room are building the systems that could one day reshape how we share, store and secure information across Earth — and eventually, the solar system.

Celtonn’s Space-Hardened Chips

Limerick startup Celtonn has scored a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to help develop a new generation of radiation-hardened semiconductors — highly specialised chips that can survive the harsh realities of Space.

It’s another step forward for Ireland’s quiet but steady ascent into the Space tech ecosystem.

Most off-the-cuff microchips aren’t built for orbit. Exposing them to Space means high levels of radiation and extreme temperatures that can cause systems to glitch, crash or degrade.

Celtonn is tackling this by designing semiconductor components that are not only resilient but also cost-effective and scalable.

For that reason they’ve been selected for the Cassini Business Accelerator, the EU’s flagship growth programme for leading space startups. It will grant the fledgling Limerick operation access to an invaluable support ecosystem of other tech leaders and investor communities.

China’s SpaceX Moment is Coming

SpaceX isn't the only game in town anymore. Beijing-based Space Epoch (Sepoch) just pulled off China's first successful sea-based rocket landing, launching their Hiker-1 rocket 2.5 kilometers up before bringing it back down for a vertical splashdown in the Yellow Sea.

The whole thing took just over two minutes, and their landing technique is straight from the Falcon 9 playbook.

They're not in orbit yet, but they've nailed the hardest part—bringing a rocket back in one piece and sending a strong signal that China's private space sector is catching up fast.

The Space Race just got a lot more crowded.

• Check out the dizzying tempo or space launches with the European Space Policy Institute’s interactive dashboard 

• Rocket Lab successfully launched its Electron rocket for the 65th time to deploy

  Black Sky’s advanced Gen-3 high-resolution satellite.

• SpaceX’s 9th test flight of its massive Starship rocket went further than the previous two, before breaking up on re-entry to the atmosphere.

• Elon Musk’s buddy Jared Isaacman’s nomination as NASA chief has been pulled by Donald Trump

Real ‘Rocket Man’ Among Blue Origin's Crew

Blue Origin's NS-32 mission carried six passengers to space, including Mark Rocket—no kidding —making him the first New Zealander to cross the Kármán Line, the internationally recognised boundary of space.

Rocket brings serious space industry cred as CEO of Kea Aerospace and a former senior executive at Rocket Lab, New Zealand's prominent launch company. He was joined by five other passengers: a Texas STEM teacher, Panama's former ambassador, a Canadian adventurer, a radiologist-explorer, and an entrepreneur from Ohio.

It was Blue Origin's 12th crewed mission since beginning human spaceflight operations in 2021, bringing their total passenger count to 64.