A Roscommon Scientist is part of a group that has made history with the launch of Ireland's first satellite.
EIRESAT 1 was launched by the Falcon 9 rocket this evening from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Local Physicist Gabriel Finneran has been part of the team at the UCD Space Science Group who have developed and built the satellite from scratch.
The South Roscommon Scientist has been working on testing the satellite to ensure it can survive the extreme conditions found in low Earth Orbit.
EIRESAT 1 will contain three payloads, including a gamma ray detector, a thermo-material experiment and computer programme which is set to be tested in orbit.
Gabriel says the UCD Space group are already working on plans for more satellites.