“Big Science with Small Telescopes”
Synopsis:
With the successful launch of EIRSAT-1, Ireland has become a space-faring nation. This 2kg CubeSat packs a lot into its small volume. Using technology originally developed by an Irish company for use in PET scanners, a miniaturized gamma-ray detector on-board is designed to pick up short-lived bursts of high-energy radiation from dying stars. The spacecraft also contains a magnetic attitude control testbed, a heat resistant surface treatment experiment, and a deployable antenna.
Turning EIRSAT-1 from an idea to reality required the hard work and dedication over 6 years of a core team of physics, engineering, maths and computer science students, supported by the European Space Agency’s ‘Fly Your Satellite’ programme and UCD staff.
Space is a harsh and unforgiving environment. To ensure that instruments can survive launch, and operate successfully in space, they must withstand strenuous testing on the ground. All the experiments developed in-house had to go through rigorous ‘shake ‘n bake’ test campaigns to ensure their suitability for the space environment.
As well as building scientific and technology demonstration payloads for space, another goal of the mission is to inspire the next generation of space scientists, engineers, designers, dreamers & creators. A poem that was co-created by school students and creative writers is etched on the spacecraft.
After its launch from California on December 1st 2023, there were some tense moments until a 2-way communication link was established. Early in the mission, the spacecraft spin rate rapidly increased, presenting a serious risk of mission loss. Thanks to swift action by the team, the spin rate is under control, with the root cause still under investigation. In a Sun Synchronous orbit at an altitude of ~507km, EIRSAT-1 has an expected lifetime of 2-3 years, after which time it will burn up as it re-enters Earth’s atmosphere.
I will give an update on the mission, its goals and latest results.
Bio:
LORRAINE HANLON is Full Professor of Astronomy at UCD and Director of UCD’s Centre for Space Research. She did her undergraduate (BSc) and graduate (MSc and PhD) degrees in Experimental Physics and was a research fellow and an EU Human Capital and Mobility fellow at the European Space and Technology Research Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands, ESA’s establishment for space mission development. She joined the academic staff of UCD in 1996, serving as Head of the School of Physics between 2008 and 2011.
Her main research interests are in high-energy astrophysics, gamma-ray bursts, multi-messenger astronomy, robotic telescopes, and space instrumentation.
Lorraine was Chair of ESA’s Astronomy Working Group and a member of the ESA Space Science Advisory Committee between 2019 and 2023. She has served as science advisor to the Irish delegation to the ESA Science Programme Committee since 2011 and is a member of the National Advisory Committee for the European Southern Observatory. She is a former trustee of the Royal Astronomical Society and a former Chair of the INTEGRAL Users’ Group.
She is the Endorsing Professor for EIRSAT-1, Ireland’s first satellite, a CubeSat that was developed by an interdisciplinary team of UCD students and staff under ESA’s ‘Fly Your Satellite!’ programme. EIRSAT-1 was launched on December 1st 2023 and is currently operational in a Sun Synchronous orbit.