Elfordstown Earthstation

Elfordstown Earthstation is a satellite ground station near Midleton, County Cork, in the south of Ireland, run today by the National Space Centre as the country's only - and Europe's most westerly - teleport.

About Elfordstown Earthstation

The site came into service in 1984 under Telecom Éireann and Eutelsat, providing Ireland's international satellite links. The National Space Centre Ltd acquired and renovated the facility between 2010 and 2013, and it now operates as Ireland's only teleport and Europe's westernmost.

Antennas & operations

The station occupies a 30,000 square-metre site anchored by a 121.3-metre lattice tower, with five operational antennas ranging from 3.7 to 13.1 metres across, working across C-, Ku-, Ka- and S-band frequencies. It provides ground station services, Earth observation support and secure data hosting for private companies, government bodies and the European Space Agency.

Location & getting there

The station sits near Midleton, County Cork, in the south of Ireland, at coordinates near 51.95°N, 8.18°W.

Visiting Elfordstown Earthstation

As an operational satellite ground station serving commercial and government clients, Elfordstown Earthstation is not set up for casual public visits the way a stargazing observatory is. Contact the National Space Centre directly for any access enquiries.

See your named star from here

Elfordstown's dishes are built for satellite links rather than optical stargazing, so it isn't the place to view a named star in person - but if you've named one through Star Register, its exact coordinates are yours to explore with any telescope, including at one of the optical observatories in our directory. Browse the catalogue to name a star of your own.