Ireland is moving to secure a foothold in the global space economy as the European Space Agency (ESA) establishes a new national platform in Mullingar, Co Westmeath. With the global space market reaching €535 billion in 2025, the sector is currently growing at an annual rate of 10% to 12%.
Why is Ireland focusing on the space sector now?
The global space industry is undergoing a shift known as “New Space,” where the focus moves from building single, bespoke satellites to mass-producing thousands of components. According to Robert Conway-Kenny of the ESA Phi-Lab Ireland, this transformation creates a manufacturing challenge that aligns with Ireland’s existing strengths in materials science and production engineering.
While the semiconductor industry hit a value of €554 billion in 2024, the space sector has quietly reached a comparable valuation of €535 billion, as reported by RTÉ. Ireland currently lacks the large-scale aerospace legacy of countries like Germany or France, but this allows the nation to direct resources toward emerging technologies without the constraints of an established industrial structure.
How does the Mullingar lab support local growth?
The ESA Phi-Lab Ireland, based at Irish Manufacturing Research in Mullingar, serves as a hub for technology development. Its mandate is to help Irish businesses use their expertise in advanced manufacturing to enter the space supply chain.
There are now 130 Irish companies actively engaged with the ESA, more than double the count from a decade ago. Other firms are already supplying technology to missions in Japan, the US, and across Europe, including sensor technology developed in Cork for the Proba-3 mission, as noted by RTÉ Radio 1’s Morning Ireland.
Can Ireland compete with established aerospace nations?
Industry observers point to Finland as a successful model for rapid development in the commercial space sector. “I think my experience shows there are many different routes into the space sector, and we will need people with a broad range of skills and backgrounds to support its growth,” said Robert Conway-Kenny.
The goal is to evolve the workforce so that careers in space become as common in Ireland as those in the pharmaceutical or medical technology sectors.
What will the future workforce look like?
The industry requires a diverse range of disciplines beyond traditional aerospace engineering, including chemistry and data management. As the commercial space economy expands, the demand for high-value jobs is expected to increase significantly over the next decade. As RTÉ Archives documented in 1988, an European Space Agency laboratory was to be established in Cork; today, there is an opportunity to develop new technologies and retain highly skilled people in Ireland.
Questions about Ireland’s space industry
What is the “New Space” sector? It refers to the maturation of the commercial space industry, characterized by the mass production of satellite components rather than the traditional method of building single, highly specialized units for long-term missions.
How many Irish companies work with the ESA? Approximately 130 Irish companies are currently engaged with the European Space Agency, which represents more than double the number of participants from ten years ago.
Where is the new ESA platform located? The ESA Phi-Lab Ireland is located in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, and operates at the Irish Manufacturing Research facility.
Forecasts suggest the global space sector will continue to grow at an annual rate of 10% to 12% over the next decade.
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