Robotics company co-founded by Tipperary man signs contact to test technology in space

A robotics company co-founded by a 25-year-old Tipperary man is preparing to launch a “robotic labour force for space”, after signing a deal to test its technology aboard the International Space Station in early 2027.

Icarus Robotics, founded by Jamie Palmer, alongside his co-founder Ethan Barajas, has agreed a mission management contract with Voyager Technologies to fly its free-flying robotic platform Joyride to the International Space Station.

Jamie is a past pupil of Cashel Community School and now lives in the United States where the company was founded by both men in 2024.

Under the agreement, Voyager will handle payload integration, safety certification, launch coordination, on-orbit operations planning and real-time mission execution support, ensuring the system meets the strict requirements of orbital deployment.

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Explaining the business idea, Palmer said: “Astronaut labour is one of the most expensive human labour disciplines that exist,” adding that while “there’s essentially hundreds of billions of dollars of infrastructure in space, at any given time there are often less than 10 people in space to work on it and maintain it.”

He added that this imbalance leaves much of that infrastructure underutilised.

“The vast majority of the infrastructure, they don’t even get to touch,” he said, describing what he sees as a major bottleneck in the space economy.

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The Joyride platform is designed as a free-flying robot equipped with two dexterous robotic arms capable of performing maintenance and experimental support tasks.

Initially, it will be remotely controlled from Earth, with the long-term aim of increasing autonomy as the system learns from real operations.

“Our first deployment is to the International Space Station next year,” Palmer said, as the company prepares for its first in-orbit demonstration.

Looking ahead, Icarus Robotics sees its near-term future in scaling deployments across low Earth orbit.

“In the next five years, I think that we will be trying to get as many robots as possible into low Earth orbit,” Palmer said.

He pointed to the rise of commercial space stations expected to replace the ISS from around 2030, where astronaut time will remain extremely expensive and limited.

In that environment, he argued, robotics will become essential for enabling science and operations.