Welcome to SpaceTech Ireland — a fast, Ireland-focused read on the space economy.

This week: Dublin's Ubotica signed with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Galway's Mbryonics landed an ESA contract in two major developments for Ireland’s space sector. Ubotica will provide the onboard AI for NASA's FAME project, a network of more than 50 satellites designed to operate autonomously. Mbryonics will partner on ESA's HydRON laser communications mission, contributing optical terminals to a test satellite that will check whether equipment from different manufacturers can work together in orbit. Also this week: a plain-English guide to ESA's three graduate entry routes, and the latest on funding and hiring.

Dublin-based Ubotica Technologies has signed up with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and UK satellite maker Open Cosmos for what is set to become the largest test of self-operating satellites ever attempted.

The project, called FAME (Flight Demonstration of Federated Autonomous Measurement), will connect more than 50 satellites from different operators into a single coordinated network. Ubotica's SPACE:AI software will run on board the satellites, analysing what they see in real time rather than sending the raw data back to Earth for processing.

That means a satellite can spot a wildfire or an unidentified ship within seconds and automatically tell other satellites to take a closer look.

Last July, JPL successfully tested a system called Dynamic Targeting - letting a single satellite decide for itself what to look at - on an Open Cosmos spacecraft running Ubotica's hardware. The three partners won the 2025 SpaceNews Icon Award for Space AI Breakthrough for that work. FAME takes the same idea and applies it across an entire fleet of satellites.

An Irish company is providing the AI that runs onboard satellites in a flagship NASA programme. That is a far bigger role than Irish firms typically get in space, where most work involves smaller, supporting contributions to European Space Agency projects.

It also points to a specific Irish strength. The Beyond the Horizon report flagged AI and machine learning as serious skills gaps in Ireland's space workforce. Ubotica is proof that Irish companies who have built real capability in these areas can compete at the top level.

If FAME shows that fleets of self-operating satellites work at scale, this approach will become the model for future satellite networks.

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ESA has awarded an €18.6 million contract to Canada's Kepler Communications to build the next part of HydRON, ESA's programme to build a laser communications network linking satellites across multiple orbits.

The contract was signed at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs this week. If HydRON works, it will extend fibre-optic data speeds into orbit, moving large volumes of information at laser speeds without adding to the radio frequencies most satellites rely on today.

The programme has three parts. Kepler also leads the first, a ring of 10 satellites in low Earth orbit awarded under a €36 million contract in 2024. The second, awarded to Thales Alenia Space, covers links from low Earth orbit to the ground and to satellites in higher orbits.

The third, announced this week, is the user side. Kepler will build one satellite carrying optical terminals from Galway-based Mbryonics, Germany's TESAT and Lithuania's Astrolight, plus a payload from Germany's Vyoma for tracking objects in orbit. The point is to show that hardware from different makers can work together on the same network.

“We are currently the only provider capable of bridging all optical communication standards to create a seamless, integrated network across LEO, MEO and GEO orbits,” said Mbryonics co-founder and CEO John Mackey.

For Mbryonics, the contract adds to a growing list. The company opened its Photon-1 manufacturing site in Galway last September and announced 125 new jobs. The facility will produce its StarCom optical terminals at an initial rate of 500 units a year, and the company has said it is targeting programmes including the EU's IRIS² satellite network.

Mbryonics was also picked by the US defence research agency DARPA for the second phase of its Space-BACN programme, which has a similar goal to HydRON: getting different satellite networks to talk to each other.

Kepler has launched 33 satellites so far and runs the first commercial optical data relay network. Canadian companies can bid on ESA contracts through a long-standing agreement between Canada and the Agency. Element 3 is expected to launch around 2028.

ESA runs three entry-level programmes for graduates and early-career professionals from member states, Ireland included. They sound similar, and the acronyms don't help. Here's what separates them.

EGT — ESA Graduate Trainee Programme - the longest-running of the three, open since 1985. Around 100 positions are published each February across science, engineering, IT and business roles. Candidates must hold a Master's degree (or be in their final year) and have no more than one year of professional experience. Contracts run for one year, with a possible second-year extension. The salary is exempt from national income tax in ESA member states.

The timeline runs roughly February to October: applications open early in the year, interviews run through spring, and successful candidates start in the autumn.

NGT — National Graduate Trainee Programme - Very similar to the EGT in structure - Master's-level graduates, one-year placements with possible extension, same fields. The key difference is the nationality requirement: EGT positions are open to nationals of all ESA member states, while NGT positions are restricted to nationals of the specific country sponsoring that opportunity. These are funded through bilateral agreements between ESA and national agencies, so availability depends on what Ireland (or any other member state) chooses to sponsor in a given year.

JPP — Junior Professional Programme - The newest of the three, launched in 2021 and materially different from the other two. Candidates need a Master's degree and two to three years of professional experience. Fifteen positions are published annually, with applications typically opening in May.

The big distinction is the contract. JPP offers a permanent ESA staff contract for an initial four-year period, with the prospect of conversion to an indefinite contract at the end of the programme. It also includes a rotation scheme across ESA departments and external secondments to industry. This is ESA's pipeline for long-term hires, not a traineeship.

So which one?

If you're finishing a Master's or recently graduated with minimal work experience, the EGT is the standard entry point. And with roughly 100 openings per year, it offers the widest range of roles. Check whether Ireland is sponsoring any NGT positions as well, since you can apply to both programmes separately.

If you've been working for two or three years since your Master's and want a route into a permanent ESA career, the JPP is worth watching. The next call for applications is expected in 2026.

No age limit applies to any of the three programmes.

All positions are listed at careers.esa.int. Set up a job alert to catch openings as they go live.

🚀 Dublin-based Lios Group has been chosen for the Scale-Up Accelerator at the Advanced Materials Show in Birmingham this July. The company's SoundBounce acoustic material, which uses responsive materials in a cellular structure to block low-frequency noise, is being developed for European launcher payload fairings through ESA's Future Launchers Preparatory Programme (FLPP). Independent testing showed a 45% reduction in fairing noise, significant for protecting sensitive satellite payloads during the violent acoustic environment of launch. It positions the company as a potential Irish supplier in the European launcher supply chain. The Advanced Materials Show runs 8–9 July at the NEC.

🚀 SpaceX fired all 33 engines on its upgraded Super Heavy V3 rocket at a purpose-built pad in South Texas on Wednesday. The static fire was completed without reported issues, following an abbreviated 10-engine test in March. The milestone clears a key step toward Starship Flight 12, the first V3 mission from Pad 2, currently targeting May.

PLD Space secures €30M EIB loan - Spanish micro-launcher developer PLD Space has secured a €30 million loan from the European Investment Bank under the Space TechEU / InvestEU programme. The funding is earmarked for its MIURA 5 small-sat launcher and advancing towards an orbital test flight, as European micro-launcher developers compete for institutional and commercial launch contracts.

Global space investment hit record high in 2025 - Analysis from Seraphim Capital puts global space investment at around $12.4 billion in 2025, up 48% year on year, surpassing the previous record set in 2021. Investors expect further growth in 2026, with defence-linked satellite systems and launch infrastructure identified as the main drivers.

European Defence Fund 2026: €1 billion across 31 topics, deadlines in April and September

The EDF's 2026 work programme is open on the EU Funding & Tenders portal. Irish companies can act as coordinator or partner on most topics. Restrictions apply to some areas tied to offensive defence work, but SMEs working in dual-use software, secure communications, AI, cloud infrastructure, PNT and quantum-secured networks generally face no Ireland-specific barrier.

The smaller SME-focused projects, with shorter delivery timelines, are the realistic entry point for first-time applicants. Check eligibility for each topic with the Irish EDF national contact point before committing time to a bid.

Horizon Europe Space Research Call 2026: eight topics, ~€91 million, deadline 3 September

Topic descriptions are now visible on the portal (free EU Login registration takes a couple of minutes). Three topics suit most Irish space SMEs. HORIZON-CL4-2026-SPACE-03-31 funds tools and software combining Earth observation and satcom, with €12 million split across three projects; a fit for software houses doing data fusion, downstream services and integration. The same call's -32 topic prepares demonstration missions combining EO and satcom assets, with larger per-project budgets for firms ready to join mission consortia.

Still open from recent editions. ESA GSTP and ARTES permanent calls accept proposals year-round but need an Enterprise Ireland support letter before submission. ARTES Entry Initiative is the SME on-ramp, capped at around €250k and designed for first-time ESA contractors. ESA BIC Ireland Spark grants (up to €50k) suit very early-stage startups using space technology. The Phi-Lab Sweden AI call (deadline 15 June) accepts Irish entities as subcontractors only, on Swedish-led consortia. The IRIS² tender (bids close 18 May) requires advance esa-star registration. ESA BASS Kick-starts (deadline 29 May) fund six-month feasibility studies on space-enabled commercial services.

PICTURE: SpaceX's successful static fire of its Super Heavy V3 booster this week clears the way for Starship Flight 12, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, in May.

Next week: more funding, contracts, and careers in Ireland's booming space economy - delivered weekly.

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