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This programme is ideal for graduates of Physics, Engineering and closely related disciplines, who want to transfer their expertise to the fast-growing global space sector. Ireland is a member of the European Space Agency (ESA) and dozens of Irish companies and researchers are involved in major international space missions.
UCD students and staff have built Ireland’s first satellite, EIRSAT-1, a 2U CubeSat that launched on a Falcon 9 rocket on 1 December 2023. EIRSAT-1 was developed within ESA’s ‘Fly Your Satellite’ programme and contains payloads developed in UCD. The spacecraft is being operated from UCD.

What Will I Learn?

1 - Describe the state-of-the-art knowledge in the field of space science and technology
2 - Apply acquired knowledge and skills to an individual internship on a topic relevant to space
3 - Work independently in multi-disciplinary, international teams on paper studies and laboratory projects
4 - Engage actively in professional networking within the field
5 - Draw on a suite of discipline-specific professional skills, such as space project management, bid-writing, and technical documentation for space mission development.
6 - Draw on a suite of transferable skills, such as critical thinking, reflection, problem solving, scientific report writing, team-working and presentation skills.
7 - Participate responsibly and professionally within a team through active engagement and collaboration
8 - Apply a systems engineering approach to the full life cycle of a space project, from preliminary design through to critical design and implementation, and including the preparation of appropriate documentation.
9 - Synthesise knowledge, awareness and experience gained from across the programme to continue developing their career
10 - Conduct a set of physics-based laboratory measurements related to space detectors and analyse the data using Python
11 - Describe the state-of-the-art knowledge and skills in the field
12 - Apply acquired knowledge and skills to a individual research project in the field
13 - Work in cross-disciplinary, international teams on paper studies and laboratory projects
14 - Draw on a suite of professional skills specific to the field, such as project management, proposal writing, and space science communication skills.
15 - Draw on a suite of transferrable skills, such as problem solving, scientific report writing, and presentation skills.
16 - Participate responsibly and professionally within a team through active engagement and collaboration on an assignment or task.
17 - Apply a systems engineering approach to the full life cycle of a space project, from preliminary design through to critical design and implementation and including the preparation of appropriate documentation.

Career & Graduate Study Opportunities

The programme is space industry focused, while also preparing graduates to pursue careers in related sectors, and in research. Satellite operator, test engineer, mission specialist, payload scientist and systems engineer are all roles that are in demand globally. Earth observation and environmental monitoring (especially to meet sustainable development goals), navigation, telecommunications and meteorology are application areas that rely heavily on graduates with satellite expertise.
Prospective employers include Spire, ESA, DLR, ISISPACE, EUMETSAT, Réaltra, Ericsson, InnaLabs, Icon Group, Mindseed, Skytek, Eire Composites etc. The MSc can act as a stepping stone to PhD research in areas such as atmospheric physics, space physics, aeronautics, propulsion and astrophysics, and to traineeships at European Space Agency establishments.