Dublin-based InnaLabs has just secured its second major European Space Agency contract, this time for a mission that will shadow asteroid Apophis during its 2029 Earth flyby—positioning Ireland as an unlikely player in planetary defence.

Ireland's space sector is gaining credibility in one of the most critical areas of space technology. As governments increasingly worry about the threats posed by asteroids (see ‘NASA’s all clear’ NYT gift article), a small company in Blanchardstown is becoming essential to the missions designed to protect us from flying space rocks. It turns out that Ireland’s secret space weapon is an RGG - a really good gyroscope.

InnaLabs’ specializes in gyroscope navigation systems—essentially the devices that help spacecraft know where they are and which way they're pointing in the hostile environment of Space. Their ARIETIS-NS gyroscope unit is designed to be small, lightweight, and power-efficient while operating with minimal interference from other spacecraft systems.

This marks InnaLabs' second asteroid mission after their gyroscope technology flew with ESA's Hera mission (NYT gift article) last year to study the Didymos asteroid system. The company was the only Irish SME involved in Hera, and now they're doubling down on that success with Ramses.

Ireland is carving out an impressive niche in what’s becoming known as “planetary defence”. InnaLabs' success is showing that Irish companies can compete at the highest levels of space technology, helping to defend ourselves against an asteroid hurtling our way in the future.

Remember Elon Musk’s Tesla roadster that he shot into space in 2018? Well, the next car in Space could well be the humble Honda Civic.

The Japanese car-maker just joined the reusable rocket club after successfully launching and landing a 20-foot prototype on Tuesday.

The unannounced test happened in Japan's "space town" of Taiki. Honda's rocket shot to about 900 feet, stayed airborne for nearly a minute, then landed almost exactly on its target spot. Honda have set themselves the goal of suborbital spaceflight by 2019, eyeing the growing demand for satellite launches, with applications ranging from communications to monitoring global warming .

Japan's government want to double their space industry investment to $55 billion by the early 2030s and Honda is not alone. Toyota has also been busy investing in rocket companies, deepening the auto-to-aerospace trend.

Honda "has the potential to contribute more to people's daily lives by launching satellites with its own rockets, that could lead to various services that are also compatible with other Honda business," the company said.

This month’s crash of the ispace lander on the Moon highlights the surprising reach of Luxembourg’s Space industry, and shows how small European nations are quietly carving out their own niches in the space sector.

Two paths, one goal: While Luxembourg built Europe's first lunar rover, Tenacious - unfortunately losing it after the Resilience lander crashed on the Moon — Ireland has quietly exceeded its 2025 target of linking 100 companies with ESA. According to the latest figures from the IDA, there are now 116 space-active companies in Ireland. Both nations are punching above their weight, though their approaches are very different.

Luxembourg's big bet when designing its approach was regulatory innovation and commercial space resources, ie mining. It became the first European country to offer a legal framework for space resource extraction in 2017. It has backed itself with €256 million in planned investment through 2027. Japan’s ispace European offshoot in Luxembourg got the first-ever mission authorization under this law.

Ireland's steady climb is down to close collaboration with the ESA and exporting its technology. ESA investment amounts to €125 million to 2027, focusing on dual-use technologies rather than creating new legal frameworks. "Our approach isn't about building a standalone space sector: we see space as a high-value market vertical," according to the Industrial Development Authority.

The bottom line: Luxembourg positioned itself as Europe's go-to jurisdiction for space companies seeking regulatory clarity. Ireland chose the path of building its export-oriented capability. Both strategies are working — but Luxembourg's regulatory pioneering may prove prescient if and when the lunar mining economy flourishes.

SpaceX’s massive Starship spacecraft exploded in a huge fireball early Thursday in a major setback for Elon Musk’s Mars programme.

The upper stage rocket exploded after what the company called a “major anomaly” occurred as it was preparing for its 10th test flight later this month. The previous three test flights ended in disaster.