Primary school students today will reach for the stars when they make a once in a lifetime video-call to space.

300 students and 50 teachers from Limerick, Kildare and Tipperary will make the live video call from the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) to European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Thomas Pesquet at the International Space Station (ISS).

The event is part of the European Space Education Resource Office (ESERO) programme in Ireland, which is co-funded by Science Foundation Ireland and the ESA.

The in-flight call, will give students and teachers in LIT’s Millennium Theatre the opportunity to ask Thomas Pesquet questions such as how we use space in our daily lives and how space research has changed the way we live today.

The video link up will also include participants from Portugal and Romania. It will be the first time a live video call has been made in Ireland with a European astronaut on the ISS.

The event is part of a vast range of educational activities delivered by ESERO Ireland, to help support teachers in using space as a rich and inspiring context to teach science.

Speaking about the call, Stephanie O’Neill, ESERO Ireland Manager, Science Foundation Ireland said "We are delighted to host this in-flight call to ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet in partnership with Limerick Institute of Technology. 

"This exciting opportunity to speak to an astronaut live from the International Space Station has inspired the 300 students attending today to further explore space and the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) career opportunities that are open to them. 

"Many other students, teachers and space enthusiasts from across the country were also able to watch the video as it streamed live online on the ESA website, giving many more people the chance to learn about how important space is in our everyday lives."

The live stream can be accessed here at 15:45 today and will last approximately 20 minutes.