Ireland’s soon-to-be first person in space has partnered with Aer Lingus ahead of her expected space flight in 2026.
Dr Norah Patten, who works for Réaltra Space Systems Engineering in Coolock, north Dublin, is expected to travel on-board Virgin Galactic’s commercial spacecraft Delta as early as 2026.
Aer Lingus has signed a two-year deal with the astronaut-to-be to support her travelling between her home in Ireland and the research hub for the spaceflight in North America.
Dr Patten is training and conducting advanced research at the National Research Council in Canada ahead of the launch.
Childcare in Ireland: ‘Even as well-paid professionals, it was an exhausting struggle. The numbers never added up’
Smooth Company’s Áine Kennedy: ‘My screen time is outrageous. I don’t have a work-life balance at the moment’
Semi-state CEOs: What do they earn and should they be paid more?
Pay, perks and CEO prerogatives
The pre-flight preparation includes spacesuit testing and evaluation, microgravity research, as well as undertaking high-G flights designed to experience gravitational force.
“My mission to become the first Irish person in space is a huge undertaking and I’m grateful to Aer Lingus for their support on my journey,” Dr Patten said.
Dr Patten’s astronautical ambitions were inspired by visiting the Nasa Glenn Research Center in Cleveland at the age of 11, and said she hopes the partnership will “can ignite the imaginations of young dreamers, encouraging them to undertake their own adventures – wherever they may be”.
Aer Lingus chief executive Lynne Embleton described the planned space flight as a “once-in-a-generation milestone for Ireland” and said the mission would succeed in “paving the way for Irish women in Stem and leaving a legacy that will resonate for generations to come”.
Dr Patten will form part of a three-woman crew set to travel into space to carry out research for the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), Virgin Galactic said last year. Originally from Mayo, Dr Patten is working alongside fellow IIAS researchers, Dr. Shawna Pandya and Kellie Gerardi.
On board the Delta spacecraft, Dr Patten’s research will focus on building on information gathered on a previous research space flight collaboration between Virgin Galactic and IIAS in 2023, testing novel healthcare technologies and looking at how fluids behave in low gravity. The IIAS crew will also test “novel biomedical research”.
“The mission is anticipated to take place within the first year of Delta commercial service, which remains on track to commence in 2026,” a spokesperson for Virgin Galactic said when announcing the spaceflight last year.
