Contec Space Group and National Space Centre Ltd (NSC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at Space Tech Expo Europe 2025 in Bremen to advance the refurbishment and return to operation of the historic 32-metre antenna, The Big Dish, at Elfordstown Earthstation, Cork, Ireland.
Originally commissioned by Eutelsat in conjunction with Telecom Éireann in 1984, The Big Dish carried transatlantic communications between Europe and North America until it was decommissioned in the 1990’s with the advent of underwater fibre-optic links.
Similar large dishes worldwide have since been repurposed for deep-space tracking, radio astronomy, and advanced communications.
Contec will provide expert consultancy and guidance throughout the restoration, and brings deep-space mission support expertise and experience operating large-aperture antennas to the project.
Rory Fitzpatrick, CEO of the National Space Centre, said:
“This dish is part of European space heritage, and has been idle since 1997. In 2024, we kickstarted the preservation of the dish with the Save the Big Dish campaign on Go Fund Me, to stop continuing degration of the 32m antenna. This MOU will form the foundation for the next step towards restoration. Bringing The Big Dish back into service to support international science and space collaborations is the ultimate goal and we welcome Dr Sunghee Lee and Conteq on board for this mission. Their expertise in this area will be invaluable’.
Large dishes of this class are rare with fewer than 100 remaining worldwide and under 30 estimated to be in active use.
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