Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This is an exciting project. It is effectively Ireland's first satellite going into space. It has been built by a whole series of contributors to the project. I understand it is being led by UCD. Certainly, it is very proud of its contribution to the project. I got a briefing about it when I was in UCD about a month ago. This is about testing a whole series of technologies and materials that have been developed by Irish researchers and sending their project into space for the first time. It will be done with SpaceX, which sends many satellites into space all the time. This is the first time that we see an Irish project actually going into space and testing for real. We have many companies that are contributing to space projects with component parts, technologies and communication systems, but this is the first satellite.

This document states that the clue to the satellite's purpose is in the title. EIRSAT-1 stands for educational Irish research satellite. No. 1 is, I hope, a sign of more to follow. While there are significant industrial and educational benefits to this project, ultimately, the greatest value of the satellite is in developing the national skills base. In addition to the opportunities afforded to UCD from the experiments being carried out by the equipment onboard, EIRSAT-1 is an educational research satellite which has provided training on all aspects of the mission to create a satellite. It has equipped students in all major aspects of satellite development. The value in training space science and engineering students cannot be underestimated, as they have developed much sought-after skills in the space industry, which is growing in Ireland, with more than 100 companies now. This is the start of building significant Irish capacity in the context of space. Fair play to UCD, which has given much leadership in the area.