Image: T-minus Engineering
‘The Pathfinder mission is a significant milestone for Ireland’s space programme,’ said Suas Aerospace CEO Rory Fitzpatrick.
Cork-based Suas Aerospace has announced a partnership with Dutch company T-minus Engineering to launch Ireland’s first commercial rocket – Pathfinder.
The current plan is that the rocket will be launched in late 2025 from Ireland’s west coast, demonstrating its capability of delivering satellites to the Earth’s northerly and southerly low orbits.
Ireland’s west coast is an “ideal destination for commercial rocket launches”, Suas said, adding that the Pathfinder launch will demonstrate the country’s geographical advantage for the European launch market – which primarily uses South America for rocket launches.
Suas, which was founded in 2019, said the Irish west coast offers cost-effectiveness, easy access by sea and air and a large safety zone over the Atlantic Ocean.
For the Pathfinder rocket launch, T-Minus will provide expertise in solid rocket propulsion, onboard electronics and telemetry, and launch operations, while Suas Aerospace will oversee the logistics of the launch, including acquiring the launch site and licensing.
“The Pathfinder mission is a significant milestone for Ireland’s space programme. It will not only demonstrate the country’s technical capabilities but also contribute to economic growth and job creation,” said Rory Fitzpatrick, the CEO of Suas Aerospace.
T-Minus Engineering is searching for new opportunities outside of the Netherlands due to space restrictions, said the CEO of T-Minus Engineering, Hein Olthof.
“The establishment of new launch sites, such as Ireland, will encourage harmonisation of launch operations within Europe, mainly in regulations, which in the end leads to better and more efficient legislation,” Olthof said.
“This can give Europe the desired edge in the important field of space access.”
Suas Aerospace, as part of a consortium called EU-BEST (European Bench for Engine and Stage Testing), received €4.9m late last year under the Horizon Europe programme to develop interoperability between space launch test infrastructures and launch systems.
Ireland has been taking leaps in the space sector recently. Last week, an Enterprise Ireland report revealed that 109 Irish were actively engaged with the European Space Agency by the end of last year. In total in 2023, the ESA awarded €9.9m to Irish companies, which were further supported by €2.2m in industry co-funding.
Also last year, the country established the Irish Space Association (ISA), a non-profit which aims to support and showcase Ireland’s developing space industry.
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