Seeking Seed and Pre-Seed Funding

Development of Spaceport and Rocket engine testing Infrastructure on Ireland’s West Coast

Dear Sir / Madam,

By way of introduction, my name is David Rudge, and I serve as Head of Commercial Development at SUAS Aerospace. SUAS’s mission is to develop two spaceports and supporting infrastructure in Ireland, establishing a critical element of Europe’s independent space launch capability.

At present, twelve European companies are developing orbital rockets, each planning between 10 and 50 launches per year. However, Europe’s only operational orbital launch site lies over 6,000 km away in French Guiana. While additional sites are being developed in Sweden, Norway, and the United Kingdom, their combined capacity will still fall far short of projected demand. SUAS’s proposed spaceports will directly address this gap, and we have already received expressions of interest from multiple European launch providers.

An independent feasibility study identified Ireland as one of the top three European launch locations. The country’s temperate climate enables year-round launch availability, while its EU membership and excellent logistics ensure efficient access to the European mainland.

We are now advancing plans for both a suborbital launch facility and a rocket engine test complex. Negotiations are already under way with several launch companies for suborbital operations, and we have secured letters of intent for use of our test site. The Western Development Commission, which has the capacity to match a degree of project funding, has expressed strong support given the significant regional and economic benefits the program will bring to Ireland’s west coast. The Irish Aviation Authority has also indicated a regulatory pathway to launch.

Governance and credibility are central to our approach. Former Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny serves as our Chairman, and Brigadier General (Ret.) Peter O’Halloran, formerly the second-highest ranking officer in the Irish Defence Forces, serves as our Deputy Chair and Head of Regulatory Affairs. Together with our technical and policy team, they ensure strong engagement and confidence with governmental and regulatory bodies.

SUAS is currently a partner in the €4.9M Horizon Europe EU-BEST project, which focuses on interoperable modular testing infrastructure for European launch systems. Building on this success, we have also formed a new consortium and recently submitted a proposal under Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL4-2025-02-SPACE-11 (CSA on Access to European Spaceports). This reflects our continued leadership in developing Europe’s launch and testing ecosystem through collaboration and standardization.

Having achieved significant progress with our own resources, SUAS is now commencing a funding round to support land acquisition, regulatory advancement, and environmental assessments.

This represents a unique opportunity to participate in shaping Europe’s next chapter in Space access. If of interest, I would be pleased to forward an NDA so that we can arrange a short meeting to discuss this opportunity in more detail.

If you know of individuals or organizations who may be interested, please feel free to share this information.

Company website: SUAS Aerospace