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This Week: Irish space companies are at international trade shows meeting the buyers who will decide their sales for years ahead. Ubotica and Pilot Photonics are working US shows targeting aerospace and defense customers, while Ubotica is also demonstrating maritime surveillance technology in Doha. At home, Equal1 raised $60 million to deploy quantum computing systems commercially, and ÉireComposites landed its first aircraft seating contract. This week's jobs section includes openings at Mbryonics, InnaLabs, Réaltra, Skytek, and Ubotica.

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Ubotica and Pilot Photonics are spending January at major trade shows in warmer climes, meeting the buyers who will decide whether their technology turns into actual sales contracts.

Pilot Photonics is at Photonics West in San Francisco, where manufacturers are shopping for components that handle data transmission using light rather than electricity. The Irish company is on the Photonics Ireland stand alongside BioPixS, Mbryonics, X-Celeprint and PhetalSafe, backed by Tyndall, IPIC, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland.

Being part of a national pavilion gives Irish companies more credibility than a small booth on its own. Pilot Photonics reported strong interest in its miniaturised laser component, now reaching the stage where customers are testing samples, and its chips for high-speed data connections. The company described the week as intense but productive.

Ireland has built a reputation in photonics and optical technology, which helps smaller Irish companies get meetings with large international buyers who might otherwise overlook them.

Trade shows like CES and Photonics West are where Irish companies find out how their technology compares to global competitors, connect with potential customers planning purchases years ahead, and begin the partnerships that will determine their sales for the rest of the decade.

Photonics West 2026 runs 20–22 January.

Ubotica was at CES in Las Vegas earlier this month, presenting its satellite technology to companies worried about ships operating without identification, monitoring electrical grids and tracking the health of farm crops. The Dublin company is describing what its satellites can do for those industries rather than talking about space technology.

"We want to be the intelligence that makes satellites truly smart," Ubotica said in materials for the event, "enabling them to think, see and act autonomously" instead of sending raw data back to Earth for processing.

Dublin-based satellite AI company Ubotica is showcasing a new "space-to-seabed" intelligence platform this week at DIMDEX 2026 in Doha, signalling expansion into Middle Eastern government sales for its subsea infrastructure protection.

The platform, developed with Dutch maritime surveyor Fugro and cybersecurity firm DTACT, combines real-time satellite vessel tracking with autonomous underwater vehicles to monitor ships near critical subsea cables and pipelines. The partnership was announced last July, with North Sea and Baltic governments as initial customers.

"Real-time intelligence is transformative for maritime situational awareness," said Fintan Buckley, Ubotica's chief executive. "The combined space-to-seabed surveillance and response capability that we are developing through this partnership is a game-changer."

Ubotica's technology processes satellite imagery aboard orbiting satellites, detecting objects at sea within 90 seconds at over 90 per cent accuracy. The system spots so-called “dark ships” operating without transponders and those broadcasting false positions, likely sanctions-evading tankers and potential saboteurs.

The partnership was explicitly motivated by the September 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions. Intelligence agencies have since documented increased vessel activity conducting seafloor mapping near cable routes carrying 95 per cent of international data traffic, including Russian research vessel Yantar operating in the Irish Sea.

"This partnership allows us to integrate additional intelligence into our geodata, enabling information-driven operations for national security efforts," said Ivar de Josselin de Jong, Fugro director.

The DIMDEX demonstration positions the platform for Gulf state customers investing heavily in maritime security. For Ubotica, it represents a significant commercial pivot from European defence markets into a region where countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are building sophisticated maritime surveillance capabilities.

UCD Spin-Out Equal1 Raises $60 Million for Quantum Computing Deployment

UCD spin-out Equal1 closed a $60 million funding round on January 14, bringing total capital raised to over $85 million and marking the company's shift from research to selling quantum computing systems commercially.

The round was led by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, with participation from Atlantic Bridge, the European Innovation Council Fund, Matterwave Ventures, Enterprise Ireland, Elkstone and TNO Ventures. Additional investors are expected in coming months.

Equal1 will use the funding to install its Bell-1 quantum servers in major computing centres worldwide and increase production at the chip factories it already works with. The company plans to advance from its current six-qubit system to 100 qubits within two years.

"This $60 million in funding marks the transition of Equal1 from development to deployment," said chief executive Jason Lynch. "As AI pushes classical computing into power and cost limits, quantum is the way forward, but only if it can be manufactured and deployed as easily as conventional computers."

Equal1's approach uses standard silicon chip manufacturing rather than the rare materials and ultra-cold operating temperatures most quantum computers require. That allows the systems to run in ordinary data centres without specialized infrastructure, addressing the cost and complexity that has kept quantum computing confined to research labs. The European Space Agency is among its current customers.

McKinsey estimates quantum computing could unlock $100 billion in value by 2035. Equal1's silicon-based approach tackles the main obstacle: the cost and difficulty of actually installing these systems where companies can use them.

🚀 The ESA and Swiss company ClearSpace previewed PRELUDE, hoping to launch in 2027, to demonstrate how satellites can be serviced and repaired in orbit rather than abandoned. If successful, the technology could enable profitable "orbital repair shops" that extend satellite life and reduce costly replacements. Irish robotics, navigation software, or space engineering firms should monitor ESA's Clean Space funding calls.

🚀 Eutelsat signed a multi-year deal with French launcher MaiaSpace to launch satellites from 2027, giving Europe's satellite operator an alternative to SpaceX. The agreement could fill half of MaiaSpace's launch schedule for its first three years. The move will be of interest to Irish companies in ground stations or satellite components on the lookout for supply chain opportunities as European operators diversify away from relying solely on American rockets

🚀 Planet Labs, an American satellite imaging company, signed a major contract with Sweden's military. Planet offers nations a "rent-the-satellite" service, letting countries access daily aerial imagery without building their own space programs. This model is increasingly attractive to smaller countries. Of interest to Irish firms in earth observation software, data analysis, or agricultural technology looking to enhance their appeal.

Upcoming launches:

Jan 22: Blue Origin NS-38 (crewed suborbital) – Corn Ranch, Van Horn, Texas
Jan 25: Jielong-3 (sea launch; payload TBA) – Launch Platform, Yellow Sea
Jan 25: SpaceX Falcon 9 “Starlink Group 17-20” – SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California
Jan 26: Long March 7A (payload TBA) – LC-2, Wenchang, Hainan.
Jan 29: SpaceX Falcon 9 “Starlink Group 6-100” – SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida

“This is a significant milestone and the start of an important new growth area for ÉireComposites” - Tomas Flanagan, CEO of EireComposites, on its first production contract in aircraft seating.

“Innovation is what drives our competitiveness. By investing in disruptive technologies, research collaborations and digital transformation, the Government are positioning Ireland as a global leader in advanced manufacturing, AI, and indeed space technologies.”- Neale Richmond, Minister of State for trade and AI, to the Dail.

"This qualification flight is a deliberate step toward delivering sovereign access to space for Europe and allied nations. Just ten months after proving that launch vehicles can be designed, built, and launched from continental European soil, we're ready to fly again." - Daniel Metzler, CEO & Co-Founder, Isar Aerospace, on Europe’s second Spectrum launch

Until next week...

SpaceTech Ireland is the only newsletter focusing exclusively on Ireland's space sector opportunities.

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