Student-Led Satellite EIRSAT-1 Records Powerful Gamma-Ray Bursts in Space

11th Oct 2024
Student-Led Satellite EIRSAT-1 Records Powerful Gamma-Ray Bursts in Space

The EIRSAT-1 educational satellite, built by Irish students with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA), has detected two gamma-ray bursts in space. Since its launch last year, the CubeSat has made over 4,500 revolutions around the Earth, travelled some 200 million kilometres, and successfully performed scientific experiments.

Student Сubesat – Explorer of the Universe

EIRSAT-1 (Educational Irish Research Satellite-1) is a cubesat, slightly smaller than a shoebox, designed, built, and tested by students from University College Dublin. The work was done under the Fly Your Satellite! Project, with support from the ESA’s Education Office.

The Gamma-Ray Detector on EIRSAT-1 undergoing testing
The Gamma-Ray Detector on EIRSAT-1 undergoing testing. Credit: University College Dublin

Satellite payloads

The satellite carries three experiments. The Gamma-Ray Detector (GMOD) detects astrophysical gamma-ray bursts and other short-lived events that produce gamma rays, such as solar flares. It is expected to detect about ten gamma-ray bursts (GRBS) yearly. In addition to discovering gamma-ray bursts, GMOD will provide essential data on the behaviour of the new technologies it uses in space.

ENBIO Module (EMOD) consists of four coated panels placed on the outside of the spacecraft to test the performance of SolarWhite and SolarBlack thermal coatings for the first time in low Earth orbit. Testing materials and monitoring the performance of the new thermal management coatings while in orbit will support the development of next-generation satellite platforms.

The antenna Deployment Module (ADM) contains two VHF antenna elements for communications and a coarse sun sensor for pointing. One of the ADM panels, located inside the satellite, has the names of the people who worked on and contributed to EIRSAT-1 engraved on it. The poem ‘All the Way Home’ is engraved on the outer panel.

First Successes of the Mission

The GMOD instrument, developed by the project team over several years, recently showed its first successful results when it recorded two gamma-ray bursts.

EIRSAT-1, a 'CubeSat', before it was launched into Space
Image of EIRSAT-1, a ‘CubeSat’, before it was launched into Space. Credit: University College Dublin

The first burst was detected on 21st August. It was a relatively common (about 70% of those observed) signal of the ‘long’ type, lasting more than two seconds. ESA states that this burst now has the official designation of GRB240821B,

After only 79 minutes, GMOD detected a second burst, this time of the rarer ‘short’ type, probably caused by the collision of two stars and the formation of a black hole.

The First Satellite in Irish History

In March 2017, the EIRSAT-1 team attended a selection workshop at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. In May of that year, it was selected as one of the missions.

The UCD President, Professor Orla Feely, Laura Cotter, and Antonio Martin-Carrillo
The UCD President, Professor Orla Feely, Laura Cotter, and Antonio Martin-Carrillo (both EIRSAT-1 team members) are pictured with the satellite. Credit: University College Dublin

To design and build the satellite itself, test facilities and clean rooms were built at UCD’s Faculty of Physics and Engineering. The university campus housed the mission control centre, where students would operate EIRSAT-1 in orbit.

Two complete satellite versions were built – the Environmental Qualification Model (EQM) and the Flight Model (FM). The EQM remained at UCD to allow the new students to familiarise themselves with the equipment and to troubleshoot in the event of problems with the FM in orbit.

The students spent about 20,000 hours testing and solving the issues before flying EIRSAT-1 into space.

The Irish Government recognised the project as Ireland’s official space mission in 2022 and a ‘major milestone’ for the growing space industry in Ireland. In December 2023, the student satellite launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and was successfully deployed into low Earth orbit, officially becoming Ireland’s first-ever satellite.

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