Calling all radio amateurs – be the first to hear satellite EIRSAT-1 from orbit
The Educational Irish Research Satellite, EIRSAT-1, is a 2-unit CubeSat from University College Dublin. Part of ESA Academy’s Fly Your Satellite! programme, it is scheduled to launch on 1 December at 18:19 UTC (19:19 CET). EIRSAT-1 will downlink in the UHF band, and radio enthusiasts from around the world are invited to help listen to the first signs of activity from the satellite in orbit!
EIRSAT-1 is expected to be injected into a +/-520-km Sun-Synchronous Orbit approx. 90 minutes after launch, with the satellite’s antenna deployment attempts beginning 45 minutes later. The current estimated first possible transmissions may commence at 20:28 UTC (21:28 CET) over the Pacific Ocean, see figure above for an approximation of the ground track. You can also find a preliminary set of Two-Line Elements for the EIRSAT-1 mission below.
Update 1 December 2023 at 21.35 CET: The data below are final.
| EIRSAT-1 |
| 1 00000U 230000 23335.82087963 .00000000 00000-0 21496-3 0 13 |
| 2 00000 97.4580 34.4530 0004963 233.8130 -164.3640 15.20235057000001 |
EIRSAT-1’s beacon is transmitted in the UHF band, at a frequency of 437.1 MHz. The downlink is GMSK modulated at a data rate of 9600 bps. Instructions for decoding the EIRSAT-1 beacon are available on the EIRSAT-1 instruction page.
The first confirmed recording of EIRSAT-1 from each continent (Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, South America, and Oceania) within a week of launch will be rewarded with a QSL card from ESA! These “special postcards” confirm that radio contact was made, and will include acknowledgement of the help given by the winners to ESA and the EIRSAT-1 team in acquiring the first signals from EIRSAT-1.
To enter this competition, please send in your recording, timestamp of passage over your ground station, and the location of your ground station to cubesats@esa.int. Be sure to include “EIRSAT-1 competition” in the subject of the e-mail. By participating, you agree to the ESA Academy data privacy notice.
EIRSAT-1 is Ireland’s first satellite, and was designed, built, and operated by students with the support of ESA Education’s Fly Your Satellite! programme. In addition to the radio transmitter, EIRSAT-1 houses three main experiment payloads, which were built from scratch by the student team:
- GMOD is a detector to study gamma ray bursts, which are the most luminous explosions in the universe and occur when a massive star dies or two stars collide.
- EMOD is an experiment to see how a thermal treatment protects the surface of a satellite when in space.
- WBC will test a new method of using Earth’s magnetic field to change a satellite’s orientation in space.
For more updates on EIRSAT-1 and Fly Your Satellite! click here.