Highlights include Ubotica, Réaltra, ÉireComposites and Proveye, just to name a few.

Irish companies secured €24m in European Space Agency (ESA) contracts last year, marking the highest-ever amount of funding the country has secured from the agency. 2024’s peak more than doubles the €9.9m that Irish companies bagged the year prior.

According to the Space Activities in Ireland 2024 report published by Enterprise Ireland and the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, a total of 116 companies collectively secured ESA contracts since the launch of the National Space Strategy for Enterprise in 2019.

Last year’s highlights include Ubotica’s AI-powered CogniSAT-6 satellite, Réaltra’s flight systems on ESA’s Ariane 6 launcher and ÉireComposites’ advanced materials for satellite communications.

Also last year, UCD spin-out Proveye was awarded €900,000 by the ESA to develop its platform that utilises satellite, drone imagery and AI to measure and monitor land use, carbon sequestration and biodiversity in grasslands.

While Dublin marine data company TechWorks Marine landed a €475,000 contract to expand the use of satellite data in Europe’s wind sector.

The space-tech market was estimated to be worth €436bn in 2024, and is predicted to rise to €469bn in 2025, and €896bn in 2034.

“2024 was the most successful financial year yet for Irish space enterprises,” said Minister of State for Employment, Small Businesses and Retail, Alan Dillon, TD. “This underlines the return on Ireland’s investment in ESA and the value of international collaboration in driving innovation and sustainable growth.

2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the European Space Agency, as well as 50 years since Ireland took on the responsibilities of a founding member in 1975.

“As we mark 50 years of Ireland’s partnership with ESA, we are not only celebrating the past but looking forward to a future where Irish innovation continues to play a central role in Europe’s journey,” the Minister added.

Jenny Melia, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, said, “Ireland’s space sector is now firmly positioned as a hub of innovation, with companies developing technologies that reach far beyond space – from AI and quantum communications to renewable energy and climate solutions.

“Over the past decade, Ireland has seen extraordinary growth in this sector – from around 30 space-active companies to 116 today – driven by the ingenuity and ambition of Irish innovators and the work of the Irish delegation to ESA.”

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