Tag: #DISH

Contec and National Space Centre to progress restoration of iconic 32-metre dish

National Space Centre, Cork and Contec Space Group of South Korea, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Space Tech Expo Europe 2025 in Bremen, Germany for the refurbishment and return to operation of the iconic 32-metre antenna, The Big Dish, at Elfordstown Earthstation in Cork.

Originally commissioned by Eutelsat in conjunction with Telecom Éireann in 1984, the installation of The Big Dish was for the purpose of hosting transatlantic communications between Europe and North America. It was decommissioned in the 1990’s with the advent of underwater fibre-optic links.

However, a new lease of life is underway for similar large dishes worldwide, which have since been repurposed for deep-space tracking, radio astronomy, and advanced communications. There are fewer than 100 large dishes of this class remaining worldwide and under thirty are estimated to be in active use.  But there are an increasing range of uses for large satellite dishes, along with a demand for the technical capability they can provide.

Contec will provide expert consultancy and guidance throughout the restoration. The South Korean company, is a renowned global leader in space communications and brings deep-space mission support expertise and experience operating large-aperture antennas.

Rory Fitzpatrick, CEO of National Space Centre, said: “This big dish in Midleton is part of European space heritage, but it 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 the continuing degradation of the 32-metre dish.   Now this MOU with Contec 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 our goal and we welcome Dr Sunghee Lee and Contec on board for this mission. Their expertise in this area will be invaluable.”

Contec Space Group is a global provider of advanced space communication systems, based in South Korea, specialising in mission support, deep-space tracking, and high-reliability ground-segment technology.

National Space Centre Ltd. is a groundstation partner and teleport services company based in Elfordstown Earthstation and hosts a global ground station for Contec in Cork.

Aramark Launches World-First Solution Inpatient Feeding

Aramark, the market-leading foodservice and integrated workplace solutions provider, launches DISH; a Digital Innovation Solution for Healthcare. The transformative platform offers a bespoke digital ordering system for healthcare environments.

Developed in Ireland, DISH combines pioneering technology with innovative customised menus into a seamless, integrated, digital healthcare solution. The platform offers unrivalled reliability, efficiencies and support for patients, healthcare staff and foodservice workers, transforming the patient experience. Available for use in a wide range of public and private healthcare settings, pilot testing has shown that busy hospitals can save 2,000 man hours of administrative work per annum, while also removing the potential for human error in the patient ordering process.

Created in collaboration with Nutritics, an industry leader in nutrition and food management software, DISH focuses on improving patient safety, removing potential errors in data collation, displays allergens, ingredients, and nutritional composition, texture, and identifies appropriate therapeutic meal options.

Smart ordering, supported by technology, minimises the risk for patients with food allergies and reduces touch points and contact between patients and hospital staff. It helps to ease communication barriers with certain patient groups. Written, visual and verbal menu choices are all designed in compliance with HIQA requirements.

DISH can also fully integrate into each hospital’s patient management system, calculate specific individual nutritional requirements, including stress factors and activity level, which can be utilised by the hospital’s dietetic and clinical teams. It is an all-round solution ensuring connectivity and continuance of care.

 

Elbha Purcell, Head of Dietetics and Wellbeing, Aramark Northern Europe “Everyone knows the pressure that Ireland’s Healthcare system is under, so we set out to create a solution that improves efficiency, quality, and safety, as well as reducing food and paper waste. It was critical for us that DISH can truly transform the inpatient feeding experience in every setting, serving everyone involved in the process.

“In equal importance, we made sure that DISH drives efficiencies, sustainable practices, and cost savings, removing an unnecessary environment impact and cost of the existing process. It reduces time from kitchen to pantry to patient, taking pressure off frontline staff, and helping to reduce food waste.”

 

Shane Flynn, Managing Director for Aramark Food Services, Facilities Management & Avoca, Ireland commented “Aramark stays on the cutting edge of innovative technology. Our long-standing partnerships in Ireland’s healthcare sector are a reflection of our expert teams’ deep operational and nutritional knowledge, innovative thinking, and safety-focus, which enables us to develop customised programs for every organisation we serve.

“We’re also proud to partner with industry leaders on the development of new systems and often bring these solutions to our clients so that we can solve for the very real challenges that they face.

I’m excited for the transformation this solution can bring and look forward to seeing this Irish innovation grow and serve Aramark’s Healthcare partners and patients around the globe.”