In this episode of the Siren Investigates Podcast, John Randles, CEO of Siren, sits down with John Mackey, CEO of MBryonics and Ruth Mackey CISO, to explore how an Irish deep-tech company is helping shape the future of global communications, space infrastructure and security.

Broadcasting from Galway, the conversation dives into the origins of MBryonics, a pioneering company developing optical and photonic communication systems for space-based networks. From adaptive optics research at the University of Galway to winning advanced communications programs with DARPA and the European Space Agency, the Mackey siblings share the remarkable journey of building a globally significant space-tech company from the West of Ireland.

The discussion explores the rise of optical satellite communications, the race to create an “internet of space,” Europe’s growing focus on dual-use technologies and how AI, photonics, and secure communications are reshaping both commercial and defense infrastructure.

The episode also examines:

🪐 The convergence of AI, satellite intelligence, and global connectivity

🪐 Ireland’s opportunity to become a strategic player in the European space economy

🪐 The realities of building sovereign manufacturing and supply chain resilience

🪐 Why space infrastructure is becoming critical to national security

🪐 The future of communications between Earth, satellites and even the Moon

A fascinating conversation on innovation, geopolitics, manufacturing and the technologies that will define the next generation of global connectivity.