Ireland reaffirms its commitment to ESA
Ireland is investing €170 m in European Space Agency programmes over the next five years, reinforcing its ambition to strengthen the role of Irish companies in the rapidly evolving global space industry.
The announcement came at ESA’s Ministerial Council in Bremen, Germany – where Member States determined their respective contributions to a range of space activities envisioned to elevate the future of Europe.
Ireland’s commitments formed part of the largest ever funding package agreed by ESA Member States at a Ministerial Council meeting.
The country’s contributions pave the way for Irish companies and institutes to support ESA projects in areas such as Earth observation, secure communications, navigation systems, space transportation and human and robotic exploration.
These activities will build on Ireland’s impressive recent contributions to European space programmes – which were outlined this week in the Space Activities in Ireland 2024 report.
The report emphasizes the increasing momentum of Ireland’s space industry, revealing that Irish companies secured €24 m in ESA contracts in 2024 – up from €9.9 m in 2023.
It highlights several key achievements, including flight systems developed by Réaltra for ESA’s Ariane 6 launcher and advanced materials manufactured by ÉireComposites for satellite communications. The momentum continued in 2025 with the establishment of ESA Phi-Lab Ireland, which supports Irish firms in developing next-generation materials and hardware for space.
Ireland’s recent successes reflect the ambitions of the National Space Strategy to strengthen Ireland’s position as an innovative contributor to the European space ecosystem.
Irish Minister of State for Employment, Small Businesses and Retail, Alan Dillon, said: “Space impacts so much of our daily life, often without us realising. This investment will help Irish businesses grow, create jobs, and tackle big challenges like climate change and cybersecurity.”
Irish Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, said: “I’m delighted to support Ireland’s increased investment in the European Space Agency through funding secured as part of the revised National Development Plan. I look forward to the future development of the Irish space ecosystem as more of our companies secure contracts with ESA.”
You can read the full story on ESA Member States’ commitments at the Ministerial Council on the esa.int corporate pages.
