Ireland is all set to see its first-ever satellite reach orbit.
The Educational Irish Research Satellite 1, or EIRSAT-1, was built by University College Dublin students as a part of the European Space Agency (ESA) Academy’s Fly Your Satellite! (FYS) program.
The gamma-ray astronomy cubesat project began in 2017 and is now as a consequence of fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at the top of November.
The 2-unit cubesat carries three science payloads. The foremost payload is the Gamma-ray Module (GMOD), a detector that may study powerful gamma-ray bursts. The opposite two payloads will assess the performance of latest protective oxide thermal coatings for satellites and test an alternate system for controlling spacecraft orientation called Wave Based Control.
EIRSAT-1 Launch Update!! 🚀 Ireland’s first satellite @EIRSAT1 goes to be launching towards the top of November! We can be posting updates here for the approaching weeks so stay tuned 🥳😁#launch #cubesat #irelandsfirstsatellite pic.twitter.com/ESAOFFMYs2November 7, 2023
“University College Dublin has immense expertise within the domains of space science of astrophysics, and with EIRSAT-1 they overcame the challenges of a really complex engineering project,” Joost Vanreusel, head of the ESA Academy, said in an ESA statement.
“And that is what made it a really appealing project for the Fly Your Satellite! educational programme: the mixture of the scientific expertise on the university with ESA’s experience and expertise within the constructing and testing of small spacecraft,” Vanreusel added.
The FYS program has allowed the scholars to work with ESA experts during design and development, and it should also support the total life cycle of an area mission. ESA also worked closely with Irish authorities to beat the unique regulatory challenges posed by a rustic launching its first satellite.
The project has helped Ireland establish its first spacecraft operations procedures, while University College Dublin now also has space infrastructure in the shape of a cleanroom and a mission control.
EIRSAT-1 was initially purported to launch on an Arianespace Vega C rocket, then switched to the primary flight of the much-delayed Ariane 6. It should now fly as a rideshare payload on a Falcon 9 rocket in late November.