EIRSAT 1

EIRSAT 1 [UCD]

EIRSAT 1 is the first irish satellite. It is a 2U-CubeSat. University College Dublin (UCD) is leading the development, launch and operation of this CubeSat, in partnership with five Irish companies, Resonate Ltd, ENBIO, SensL, Parameter Space and MOOG Dublin.

While the main satellite subsystems (e.g. structure, power, ADCS, communications) are supplied by AAC Clyde Space, UCD has developed three payloads and one subsystem in-house:

• GMOD (Gamma-ray Module): A miniaturized gamma-ray detector using a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) developed by SensL. It aims to detect gamma-rays from cosmic and atmospheric sources, offering a compact, low-power alternative to traditional photomultiplier tubes.
• WBC (Wave-Based Control): An experimental software payload for attitude control, developed by UCD’s Dynamics and Control Group. WBC uses Earth’s magnetic field to orient the satellite, and will be tested in-flight after initial standard control operation.
• EMOD (ENBIO MODule): A materials science experiment testing thermal coatings from ENBIO Ltd. It includes two black and two white coated panels whose temperatures will be monitored to evaluate coating performance in orbit.
• ADM (Antenna Deployment Module): A UCD-developed subsystem housing two UHF and two VHF antenna elements for communications, as well as a coarse sun sensor for attitude reference.

EIRSAT 1 was selected by ESA's "Fly Your Satellite!" Program in 2017 to be deployed in orbit from the ISS in 2018 or 2019. Later a launch on the maiden flight of the Ariane-62 launch vehicle was considered. Eventually it was launched in December 2023 on a Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5).