26th November 2025
Ireland is investing over €170 million in European Space Agency (ESA) programmes between now and 2030. This funding will help Irish companies grow in the fast-expanding global space industry.
Minister of State for Employment, Small Business and Retail, Alan Dillon, announced the investment while attending a major ESA meeting in Bremen, Germany. The meeting brings together ministers from 23 countries to plan the future of space activities in Europe.
Space technology affects everyday life – from weather forecasting and GPS navigation to secure communications. By investing in ESA programmes, Ireland is helping its businesses develop cutting-edge technologies that can be used in space and beyond.
Ireland will support ESA projects in areas such as:
- Earth observation (monitoring our planet)
- Secure communications
- Navigation systems
- Space transportation
- Human and robotic exploration
Minister 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.”
Minister 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.”
The global space economy is expected to triple in size, reaching $1.8 trillion by 2035. Irish companies are already making their mark: the number of firms working with ESA has grown from 70 in 2019 to 120 in 2025. Last year, 21 Irish companies won their first ESA contracts, creating new jobs and opportunities.
This investment is part of Ireland’s National Space Strategy for Enterprise, which aims to build a sustainable space industry and position Irish companies to compete globally.
Notes to editors
The European Space Agency and CM25
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities. Today it launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space. Member States’ investment in ESA is made on the basis of geographical return, meaning that the amount a Member State invests in ESA is commensurate with the amount that their national industry receives back in contracts.
ESA holds a Ministerial Council Meeting approximately every three years and provides an opportunity for Member States to agree on the future programmes and strategies of the Agency.
For more information on ESA please see www.esa.int.
To follow CM25 online: ESA - follow CM25 online
Ireland’s membership of ESA
Membership of ESA provides Ireland’s businesses with access to a technology development organisation with a value of over €5 billion per year, that has no equal anywhere outside NASA along with greatly improved access to Global and European institutional space clients, prime contractors and technology supply chains.
ESA plays a critical role in developing a strong European Space programme and space industry and has been fundamental to in developing the specialised, highly innovative, industrial capabilities that exist in the Irish space sector. ESA :-
- Provides a significant capital investment support for in-company & 3rd level RDI in leading edge space technologies for commercial exploitation in the global space and non-space markets for the SME and MNC sector.
- Supports the Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland strategy of supporting high potential start-ups, company scaling, as well as foreign direct investment.
- Provides prioritised support for technology innovation and technology transfer that leads to exports, sales and employment generation by Irish industry.
- Provides a platform to fully exploit the opportunities of the Global space market and maximise the financial return and economic impacts of Ireland’s financial contributions to the EU space programme budgets.
- Contributes directly to Business Expenditure on R&D and Higher Education Expenditure on R&D, to all metrics and targets in the National Space Strategy for Enterprise 2019-2025, Action Plan on Competitiveness and Productivity, Impact 2030, and EI and IDA Strategies.
The National Space Strategy for Enterprise 2019-2025
- The National Space Strategy for Enterprise 2019-2025 was published in June 2019 by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The strategy sets out Ireland’s vision for space enterprise - to develop and support an economically sustainable and expanding space-active industry, delivering quality jobs for the economy of tomorrow.
Enterprise Ireland and ESA
Enterprise Ireland co-ordinates Ireland’s industrial and research participation in the programmes of the ESA in collaboration with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
The purpose of Ireland’s membership of ESA is to participate in European space programmes with a focus on facilitating innovative Irish companies to develop leading edge space technologies and to commercially exploit their ESA participation in global space and non-space markets, leading to increased export sales and employment.
Enterprise Ireland’s role in relation to ESA is to assist Irish companies to successfully bid for ESA contracts, providing expertise for Irish companies and researchers in developing and executing space strategies, as well as being a point of reference for the international space industry when they want to identify relevant sources of space-related expertise within Ireland.
Irish industrial and research participation in ESA covers a range of sectors and technology areas including; software, precision mechanical engineering, telecommunications, electronics, optoelectronics and advanced materials and extending to end user equipment, services and applications.
For more information on Enterprise Ireland and ESA please see European Space Agency (ESA) - Enterprise Ireland.
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