The International Space Station (ISS) has been orbiting the Earth more than 400 kilometres above the planet for a quarter of a century.

The ISS, a joint project involving NASA, Roscosmos, ESA, JAXA and CSA, serves as both a laboratory and a platform for international cooperation in space.

For Ireland, interest in the ISS has grown in recent years. Ireland’s space industry, still in its early stages, sees the ISS as a model for international collaboration.

Irish universities and research institutions are exploring opportunities to contribute experiments in fields ranging from biomedical research to materials science.

The European Space Agency, of which Ireland is a member, has played a key role in connecting Irish researchers with projects on the station.

Meanwhile, Ireland’s first satellite, EIRSAT-1, has successfully completed its mission orbiting Earth and is set to de-orbit in the coming days. Launched in 2023, the CubeSat was built by students and faculty at University College Dublin in collaboration with the European Space Agency.