Guest article: From linen to lunar - how Northern Ireland manufacturing has evolved for space

The global space sector is entering a period of commercial expansion, driven by rapidly falling launch costs, reusable rocket technology, miniaturised satellites, and growing demand for connectivity. 

Satellites are now inextricably linked to everyday life. They provide us with essential global communications, linking people and devices around the planet. Satellites help us to navigate using satellite positioning, navigation and timing signals. They also support our understanding of the climate from the unique vantage point of space, helping us to better understand and protect our fragile climate.

Once dominated almost entirely by national agencies and large defence contractors, the industry has been transformed by the rise of so-called “New Space” companies. These are agile, family-owned or venture-backed firms developing launch systems, satellite constellations, in-orbit services, and space-enabled applications.

The commercialisation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO), has dramatically reduced the cost of access to space and accelerated launch frequency worldwide. LEO is the region of space that hosts the most satellites, roughly 160km to 2,000km above the Earth. Commercial activity now accounts for the majority of the market, with satellite communications, navigation, Earth observation, AI-enabled geospatial analytics, and defence applications driving much of the demand.

Northern Ireland already possesses many of the capabilities required by the modern space sector, including advanced composites, precision machining, electronics, robotics, additive manufacturing, cyber technologies, and systems engineering.

Indeed, we are already seeing significant growth in the Northern Ireland space sector. Confidence in our capabilities and ability to engage with major space stakeholders is being recognised.

Thales Alenia Space's Belfast facility specialises in the manufacture, assembly, and testing of satellite propulsion systems. The Belfast facility will build, test, and assemble the propulsion system module that enables the Argonaut lander, Europe’s first foray to the lunar surface, to ascend and descend from the moon.

Short Brothers, a Boeing Company, is part of the consortium to develop the European Space Agency (ESA) Invictus. This is Europe’s hypersonic space plane, a fully reusable hypersonic test platform capable of flying at Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound) by 2031. The vehicle aims to test future hypersonic flight capabilities that enable "aircraft-like" access to space, bridging the gap between current aerospace technology and reusable spaceplanes platform.

Our industrial capabilities align closely with the needs of emerging “New Space” markets, where demand is growing for lightweight materials, satellite components, advanced sensors, autonomous systems, propulsion technologies, and high-precision manufacturing.

Northern Ireland’s concentration of globally recognised aerospace firms, our highly connected supply chain  expertise, and university-led research create a significant opportunity for the region to integrate into international space manufacturing ecosystems.

This opportunity is reinforced by the UK Government’s National Space Strategy and wider industrial strategy, both of which identify advanced manufacturing, innovation, regional cluster development, and sovereign technological capability as central to future economic growth.

Alongside this, the UK Modern Industrial Strategy has prioritised advanced manufacturing, defence technologies, clean energy, digital systems, and innovation-led exports as key drivers of long-term competitiveness. For Northern Ireland, this creates a strategic opportunity to leverage its engineering heritage and highly skilled workforce to participate in high-growth space markets.