Published 30 March 2010
Ireland’s involvement in the space industry has expanded enormously in recent years, and the sector offers a growing number of employment and research opportunities for our science and technology graduates.
Here are 10 key facts and figures about the Irish space industry:
- The industry is currently worth over €20 million to the Irish economy
- About 70 Irish companies have participated in European Space Agency (ESA) programmes since 2000
- Scientists in Irish organisations work on a wide range of space projects, from software to satellite technologies and space station experiments
- Companies and researchers from the Irish space sector were involved to the tune of €5 million in contracts for the Herschel Space Observatory and the Planck Surveyor Satellite for the ESA
- Irish university research groups have also undertaken world-class science through the ESA science programme
- The ESA has exacting requirements in terms of reliability and performance, so all this work enhances our reputation enormously
- Space is not the only market for space technologies – Irish companies have also commercialised their ESA work in other sectors including aerospace, automotive, medical devices, telecommunications and financial services
- The ESA is funded to the tune of €3 billion a year by member countries
- The Space Strategy Working Group believes a coherent national space strategy for Ireland could lead to 5,000 new high-value jobs by 2025
- By that time the sector would have an estimated value of €1 billion to the exchequer
