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

This week: 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.

Everyone talks about AI, but no one has the time to learn it. So, we found the easiest way to learn AI in as little time as possible: The Rundown AI.

It's a free AI newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the latest AI news, and teaches you how to apply it in just 5 minutes a day.

Plus, complete the quiz after signing up and they’ll recommend the best AI tools, guides, and courses — tailored to your needs.

Sign up to start learning.

Arianespace has set 12 February for its first mission carrying Amazon Leo satellites - 32 satellites aboard an Ariane 64 launching from French Guiana between 16:45 and 17:13 GMT.

Dublin-based Réaltra Space Systems Engineering supplies two critical systems flying on every Ariane 6 launch: VIKI (video telemetry with six HD cameras) and GEKI (GNSS navigation for precise positioning). VIKI has been standard equipment since the maiden flight in July 2024; GEKI, initially experimental, has since been cleared for operational use.

Réaltra's GNSS system processes signals from Europe's Galileo navigation constellation, which can deliver positioning accuracy within one metre, essential for tracking the rocket's trajectory and satellite deployment.

For a company employing a couple of dozen people in north Dublin, this position on Europe's primary commercial launch vehicle represents substantial proof of Irish space engineering capability.

The Amazon Factor

This is the first of 18 Ariane 6 missions booked by Amazon to deploy its low Earth orbit internet constellation. The company needs more than 3,000 satellites operating at 590-630 kilometres altitude, with regulatory pressure to launch half the constellation, or more than 1,600 satellites, by July 30 this year. Amazon has filed for an extension.

Amazon has spread deployment across four providers: ULA, Blue Origin, Arianespace, and SpaceX. The Ariane 64 variant will eventually carry up to 40 Amazon satellites per flight once upgraded boosters arrive, meaning the 18 contracted launches could deploy over 700 satellites.

Irish Opportunities

Amazon's European ground infrastructure creates openings beyond launch vehicle systems:

Project Kuiper Cork: Amazon operates a ground gateway at the National Space Centre's Elfordstown facility (approved October 2025), making Ireland one of the first European deployment sites.

Ground infrastructure: Constellation operators need network operations centres, data processing hubs, and additional ground stations. Réaltra's GNSS expertise translates to ground-based tracking. Amazon's Dublin AWS region is a potential site for satellite network operations centres.

The mission will test both Amazon's progress against regulatory deadlines and Arianespace's ability to deliver the launch cadence its largest commercial customer requires.

⚡️ JOBS IN SPACE: 150+ roles including new ESA Galileo ground‑segment posts (Noordwijk, Feb 25), fresh ESA Graduate Trainee 2026 openings, and 20+ engineering roles at Mbryonics (Galway)
Full listings below ↓

If you missed ESA Phi-Lab Ireland's first funding round last year, the second call is expected to open in the coming weeks.

It offers up to €400,000 in seed funding for projects up to 24 months, plus access to state-of-the-art facilities at Irish Manufacturing Research in Mullingar and the AMBER Centre at Trinity College Dublin. Phi-Lab Ireland explicitly welcomes companies who've never considered the space market before but have relevant manufacturing or materials expertise.

Keep an eye on esaphilab.ie for the launch announcement, and consider signing up to their newsletter now so you don't miss it.

InCubed: always open for EO companies

If your company works with Earth observation data rather than hardware, ESA's InCubed programme is worth knowing about. Unlike most ESA funding, InCubed has a permanently open call. Companies can pitch an idea to ESA any time and get a response within weeks.

The programme co-funds up to 50% of commercially focused EO ventures, from satellite systems down to data platforms and analytics tools, with zero equity taken. You pitch your idea first, then develop a full proposal if ESA and your national delegation (Enterprise Ireland, in this case) give the green light.

Details at incubed.esa.int.

Ireland's first satellite de-orbited in September, but its legacy is very much alive. Flight data from EIRSAT-1 is now being used by Réaltra and Ubotica in an ESA General Support Technology Programme contract for machine-learning-based failure detection and autonomy on small satellites. The project passed its Preliminary Design Review in December.

Rather than both companies competing for the same contracts, the partnership between these two domestic heavyweights is an early signal that Ireland's space sector is beginning to form technology clusters.

EIRSAT-1’s flight data continues to deliver value months after de-orbit. It trained over 50 students, including 13 PhDs, who are now in the Irish and international space workforce. UCD C-Space is seeking partners for follow-on missions.

What’s emerging is a pattern where educational satellite programmes generate training, data and intellectual property that outlive the mission itself. Onboard AI and spacecraft health management is becoming a distinct Irish capability alongside Earth observation and launcher systems.

Ireland's National Space Strategy for Enterprise expired in 2025, and with €170m committed to ESA programmes through 2030, the sector is watching for a follow-on plan that translates capital into clear industrial priorities.

Budget 2026 allocated €40m "to enable Irish businesses to secure contracts that in turn will contribute to meeting the ambitions of the National Space Strategy," but the Department of Enterprise hasn't announced a successor strategy or a publication timeline.

The government's Sectoral Capital Plan 2026-2030, published in January, commits the €170m ESA investment but doesn't reference a new strategy framework.

What's driving the question:

Industry sources suggest the next iteration could broaden scope beyond enterprise. The 2019-2025 strategy focused on commercial applications. Research institutions are now pushing for research pathways that would link universities and centres like UCD, DIAS, Tyndall, and Maynooth into ESA missions and spin-outs.

The expiring strategy aimed to grow revenue, increase employment, and reach approximately 100 Irish companies working with ESA. By 2025 those targets were largely met or exceeded, with Irish companies securing over €1.4 billion in cumulative ESA contracts. The question now is about scaling up the sector. Can Ireland move firms from ESA subcontractors to prime contractors and international exporters?

What the sector is asking for:

Industry consultations around the €170m ESA commitment highlighted the need for clearer coordination across Enterprise Ireland, the Department of Enterprise, and ESA programme desks. Currently, Irish companies navigate multiple funding pathways with no single authority managing industrial policy.

The European context:

France is ring-fencing €16bn+ for civil/dual-use space to 2030 and adding €4.2bn for defence space in 2026–2030, covering launch autonomy (including developing Ariane), satellites and new military “active defence” + surveillance capabilities. Germany pledged €5.4 billion to ESA alone for 2026-2028, becoming the largest ESA contributor. Ireland's €170m over five years equals roughly €34m annually, lower per capita than Belgium or Luxembourg. ESA is simultaneously pushing resilience, secure communications, and climate services.

What this means for Irish companies:

If the new strategy delivers more national co-funding for demonstration missions, companies like Mbryonics, Réaltra, and ÉireComposites could get matched funding for ESA bids they currently pay for themselves. Universities would have clearer paths to turn research into commercial projects.

🚀 As it is on Earth…European security officials say two Russian space vehicles, Luch-1 and Luch-2, have intercepted communications from at least a dozen European satellites over the past three years. The vehicles have made risky close approaches to geostationary satellites serving Europe, Africa and the Middle East, lingering nearby for weeks to collect signals intelligence.

🚀 SpaceX has halted Falcon 9 flights after Monday's Starlink mission suffered a failed deorbit burn. The rocket successfully deployed 25 satellites but its upper stage failed to perform the controlled descent back to Earth for destruction in the atmosphere. The move potentially delays the Crew-12 mission, originally slated for February 11, that is to carry ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and three crewmates to the ISS.

“Where Apollo ended at 17, Artemis will live on for decades as we explore and realize the economic and scientific potential of the lunar surface. It is where we will test hardware and operations, including resource manufacturing, nuclear power, and propulsion, the tools necessary to undertake human missions to Mars.” - NASA chief Jared Isaacman.

Next Week: Horizon Europe has just launched its 2026 Space calls. We'll break down the four calls that matter, and how to start a bid without losing your mind. If your company touches Earth observation, satcom or space data, you'll want to read it.

SpaceTech Ireland tracks funding, contracts, and careers in Ireland's €24M+ space economy - delivered weekly.

Know an Irish space startup we should cover?

Email [email protected]