Ireland's first satellite is due to launch into orbit this week.
Designed and built by a student-led team at UCD, EIRSAT-1, will carry three experiments into space and report data back to a command centre on the Irish campus.
Dr David Murphy, from Waterford City, is a researcher with UCD Space Science Group and Systems Engineer for the EIRSAT-1 team. An architect turned physicist, he has been working on this unique project for more than six years which will culminate this week with the satellite being launched by rocket into space.
Waterford man, David Murphy (right) with fellow UCD EIRSAT-1 team members, Rachel Dunwoody and Joe Thompson. Photo: Andres Poveda
David said, “This has been a truly amazing project to work on. Our team in UCD is the first in the country to design and build a satellite that will be launched into orbit and then operated from Ireland. Having started on this project as a student, and worked on it for so long, it is extremely exciting to now be this close to launch date!’
The satellite’s three experiments will test new space technologies developed in Ireland, including an advanced instrument that will probe the early Universe.
David Murphy is a post-doctoral researcher in the UCD Space Science group. He graduated with a BSc in Physics with Astronomy and Space Science from UCD and went on to complete an MSc by Research and a PhD funded by the Irish Research Council (IRC) in UCD. As Systems Engineer for EIRSAT-1, he provides technical leadership and support to the team and oversees the design, testing and integration of each subsystem.
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