The undertaking’s success has already result in the funding and improvement of extra space initiatives in Eire.
The EIRSAT-1 has been on my radar – pun meant – for some time now. The tiny cuboid satellite tv for pc, Eire’s first-ever, has garnered a lot consideration over its two-year lifespan because it orbited Earth to gather knowledge for analysis and training.
However sadly, the undertaking is about to return to an finish, the College School Dublin (UCD) group behind the undertaking has mentioned right now (3 September). Within the subsequent day or two, the EIRSAT-1, quick for Schooling Analysis Satellite tv for pc-1, will de-orbit and fritter away within the ambiance.
EIRSAT-1 was launched into house in 2023, supported by the European Area Company’s (ESA) ‘Fly Your Satellite tv for pc’ programme funded by the Division of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE). The launch was the results of almost six years of laborious work.
It carried with it three payloads for its low-Earth orbit (LEO) mission, together with the Gamma-Ray Module (GMOD) to detect gamma ray bursts, the Wave Primarily based Management (WBC) module, which examined and validated a novel management system for superior satellite tv for pc pointing in house and the ENBIO module, a supplies testing platform to check the efficiency of thermal administration coatings in LEO for the primary time.
In its time, the GMOD detected 10 cosmological gamma-ray bursts and two photo voltaic flares, and over the course of the undertaking, the EIRSAT-1 group revealed 24 educational journal and convention papers sharing the outcomes of the analysis and technological developments, mentioned UCD.
Greater than 50 college students, largely postgraduates in Physics and Mechanical and Supplies Engineering and a few in Pc Science and Arithmetic, realized house programs abilities not beforehand seen in Irish business. These included 13 PhD college students funded by Irish Analysis Council scholarships.
Moreover, UCD launched a brand new ‘Spacecraft Operations’ module as a part of an MSc in Area Science and Know-how final 12 months, developed by EIRSAT-1 lead programs engineer and chief operator Dr David Murphy. The course skilled an additional 20 college students who gained expertise working the satellite tv for pc in orbit.
The undertaking’s success has straight supported the event and funding for extra initiatives and programmes by UCD, together with the Nationwide Area Subsystems and Payloads Initiative (NSSPI), a programme launched in March 2024 led by UCD’s Dr David McKeown, the engineering and WBC educational lead on EIRSAT-1, with greater than €7.9m in funding from the DETE’s Disruptive Applied sciences Innovation Fund.
The NSSPI undertaking is growing next-generation satellite tv for pc management programs utilizing model-based design and hardware-in-the-loop testing to speed up innovation in Irish house expertise.
As well as, a brand new Analysis Eire-funded undertaking referred to as ‘GIFTS’ builds on the success of GMOD and is led by UCD’s Prof Sheila McBreen. It’s a 6U CubeSat mission geared toward detecting and localising gamma-ray bursts, bettering the sky protection of present gamma day bursts observations.
UCD C-Area has additionally been chosen by ESA for a follow-on undertaking referred to as ‘COMCUBES’ led by Murphy, that may develop a CubeSat swarm to ship sooner and extra detailed details about gamma-ray bursts.
“Though it’s a tragic day for the group, we’re proud that EIRSAT-1 has reached the tip of its mission having achieved all of its targets. We’re eager to use what we now have realized, constructing new missions, and collaborating to develop Eire’s house sector,” mentioned Prof Lorraine Hanlon, the director of the EIRSAT-1 undertaking and UCD C-Area, the Centre for Area Analysis.
Dr Padraig Doolan, the Irish delegation to ESA at Enterprise Eire mentioned: “The profitable conclusion of EIRSAT-1 marks a milestone for Eire’s house sector. It reveals how Eire not solely participates, but additionally leads, advanced house missions from design by to operations.
“The mission can also be a powerful instance of academia and business working hand-in-hand, and Irish corporations offering important applied sciences and experience.
“Enterprise Eire is proud to have supported this trailblazing mission, and we’re excited to work with our companions to construct on its success, accelerating Eire’s progress as a space-faring nation.”
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