Space sector – case studies

Ben tells us about his varied career journey and provides excellent advice on how to gain experience while at university:  

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Prepare to launch your space career…alumnus journey – Inform.ed blog 

An overview of your career path 

Throughout my time at university I spent time in the US living it up at Camp America. I also had a variety of part-time jobs whilst a student: bicycle engineer and sales assistant at Toys R Us and delivery work in Next. I was also delighted to be accepted on to the Airbus Innovation Summer Academy. 

After my bachelor’s degree in mathematics at the University of Edinburgh, my love for applied mathematics, engineering and space exploration resulted in me carrying out an MSc at Cranfield University in Astronautics & Space Engineering. My time at Cranfield saw me narrow my interests to rockets and all things launch! My group design project focused around the launch for a European Space Agency call for an asteroid retrieval mission and my thesis looked at horizontal launch infrastructure for a UK spacesport in collaboration with the UK Space Agency.

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Following my academic journey I began my professional career with an internship (known as SPIN) for eight weeks with a launch consultancy company called UK Launch Services:

UK Launch Services

Following the internship, I was offered a permanent position and have now been here for three years. During full time work, on the side,  I also run a small consultancy and innovative company called TCT Aerospace Ltd, and had the balances of house moves, advanced badminton, and a baby!

What is your current role and what does your work involve?    

My current role is a project engineer for UK Launch Services – a launch consultancy company. If you want to launch a rocket or manage a spaceport – UK Launch Services will assist. I do a variety of different technical tasks within the company from safety planning at spaceports to operations of the launch, to logistics, regulations, supply chain, weather, airspace, seaspace and communications activities. I have worked on multiple spaceports including Machrihanish Spaceport, Space Hub Sutherland and Prestwick Spaceport, and have managed to build and launch my own small rocket too. I lead UK Space Agency projects, perform outreach and STEM-related activities and am a fully certified drone operator. 

What skills/experiences do you feel helped you get to your current position?    

In addition to the experience gained academically throughout my BSc and MSc degrees, I gained so many skills and experiences through extracurricular activities. During university I was a Student Ambassador, Student Representative, Astronomical Society board member, Space Exploration & Development for Students Vice-Chairman, badminton coach and lead of the rocketry team. All of these activities gave me great communication and time management skills as well as applicable technical knowledge. I also believe that being proactive, having a strong determination and great networking skills led to the position I am in today.

What advice would you give to students who are interested in your area of work?  

With regards to specific skills for UK Launch Services, communication skills, technical writing skills, hands-on understanding, system engineering, requirements management and knowing a software language is very helpful. Taking a career path in the space industry is not an easy task and the field is not the largest, however, the industry in the UK is growing exponentially and there are more and more opportunities arising.  

My advice to students is to ‘get stuck in’. Do extracurricular activities, do research on the topics you’re interested in, do internships, attend clubs, volunteer, make use of your summer and most importantly, do what you enjoy.  

There is no typical path to getting into the space industry, be determined and proactive, never give up and take your opportunities when they come, and things will always fall in to place. 

An overview of your career path   

I was always interested in space and looking at options when I was leaving school I thought that Engineering would be a good route into the space industry. I studied Aero-Mechanical Engineering at Strathclyde University before completing a PhD in the Advanced Space Concepts Lab at Strathclyde. I researched the Orbital Dynamics of Advanced Planetary Observation Systems, investigating highly elliptical orbits around the Earth for enhanced observation of the Polar Regions.  

I then held a variety of Post-Doctoral Research and Knowledge Exchange Positions before leaving the University to join Clyde Space. During my time in industry, I worked in Business Development and Systems Engineering working on feasibility studies and the design of CubeSats*. I then took up the role of European Space Agency (ESA) Business Applications Regional Ambassador for Scotland and Northern Ireland, supporting companies throughout the region. In March 2020 I re-joined what is now AAC Clyde Space as Head of Institutional Engagement.

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What is your current role and what does your work involve?    

I am the Head of Institutional Engagement at AAC Clyde Space. I engage with Space Agencies, like ESA, the UK Space Agency, and other National Agencies, and work closely with colleagues in the Business Development Team and our Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to generate development programmes to support technology and service development within the Business. I work across the companies in the AAC Clyde Space Group with sites in the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands and the USA. My role also involves creating Research and Development partnerships as well as engaging in outreach activities. 

What skills/experiences do you feel helped you get to your current position?    

Good communication is key! It’s important to be able to work well in a team with a variety of people from lots of different backgrounds. Having a technical understanding across the space value chain is also important. I have built up a breadth of knowledge over my career to-date which help me to fulfil my current role. We also work in a fast-paced environment, so being organised, flexible and willing to take ownership of tasks is also valuable. 

What advice would you give to students who are interested in your area of work?  

I would strongly encourage anyone interested in working in the space industry to go for it! It is the most exciting place to work. Work hard and always grasp opportunities when they come your way. Also, never underestimate the importance of transferable skills, like communication and team work, as well as technical knowledge and ability. 

*CubeSats - CubeSats are miniaturized satellites, made up of standard units (“U”). Each unit is 10 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm (small enough to hold in your hand) and usually weighs just over 1 kg. These units can be stacked, like building blocks, to build CubeSats of different sizes. Taken from the AAC Clyde Space Annual Report 2020:

AAC Clyde Space Annual Report 2020

Vinita shares the steps she’s taken on her career journey… read on for some great advice: 

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How to step forward into Space: Vinita’s inspirational journey – Inform.ed 

(Image credit: This is Engineering) 

An overview of your career path

My background is more general compared to my colleagues on the Skyrora engineering team. I grew up travelling around the world, experiencing different cultures, landscapes, and environments, and meeting many people. From this, I developed an interest in the relationships between people and their environments which led me to complete a degree in Geography at the University of Edinburgh.

Upon completing this degree, the opportunity arose to take a “Remote Sensing and Global Climate Change” course, and this is where I learned about the importance of satellites and the relationship between satellites, Earth observation, and Climate Change. This course inspired me to further research the burgeoning UK space sector and ‘New Space,’ so when I came across Skyrora and gained insight into the company’s values and mission, I felt compelled to apply, basing my cover letter on the Remote Sensing and Global Climate Change course I took at university.

Three interviews later and with much persistence, I am immensely proud that I successfully secured a Business Development Executive role at Skyrora!

The company has taught me so much about the future of the UK space sector. I could easily discuss how environmentally friendly Skyrora has become for hours, as well as the importance of Skyrora’s role in the UK space sector and Earth observation practices.

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What is  your current role and what does your work involve?

My role title at Skyrora is Head of Communications and Engagement, which involves shaping the company’s external narrative and inspiring the younger generation.

Skyrora’s small size enables the business staff to become involved with various aspects of business development. Within the Communications department, I am responsible for all external and internal communications, liaising with the press and media, as well as managing our social media channels.

My primary responsibilities also include presenting, networking, bringing back business from conferences and events, speaking to clients about our payloads, and helping to build relationships with relevant government bodies.

Regarding the management of Skyrora’s social media channels, which I very much enjoy, I have managed to build up our followers by approximately six to seven thousand in the span of two years. I am also passionate about managing my current project, which is to ensure my communications team is fully prepared to make external announcements and is clear on what the outputs are.

One of my favourite projects that I worked on at the end of 2020 was launching the Skyrora merchandise store. Since its launch in January 2020, we now get about two to three orders per week. Currently, I am overseeing the creation of our new merchandise collection.

In the future, I envision a STEM section of the store. My inspiration for this stems from last year’s Covid-19 lockdown when I still wanted to ensure kids were having a positive learning experience from home as much as possible. I would like to create and sell STEM kits on our merchandise store to accompany space-related activities.

Managing the press for each Skyrora milestone by gathering the relevant technical information from our tech team is another rewarding task I am responsible for. This involves drafting articles with our PR agencies and gathering the relevant footage and photos. I then go through the internal approval process, speak to journalists about embargo times and interviews, and ensure everything is delivered to our VIP clients before posting it externally to the media and our communication channels.

The most exciting thing I have done at Skyrora so far was the opportunity to work on the Skylark Micro Mission project, where we successfully launched a 3.3 metre, two-stage rocket from the Langanes Peninsula in Iceland last year. Taking on the PR and communications side of this project, I acted as Skyrora’s media contact for this project, which was by far one of our biggest missions to date. This involved ensuring all media questions were answered in a timely, professional manner and organised the most relevant representatives from Skyrora to take part in various interviews.

I was also responsible for creating our own announcements and ensuring that it was sent out to national media organisations with associated photos and videos within the agreed date and time. My favourite aspect of this project was updating our social media channels and getting our wider audience excited about the launch. We released several campaign posts leading up to the launch, and I enjoyed interviewing the technical team and writing/creating these posts.

Finally, it was a privilege to meet the Icelandic stakeholders involved in the regulation aspect of the mission. The most exciting meeting was with the Icelandic President, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson. It was an honour to be welcomed by him and to share Skyrora’s vision, as well as details surrounding the Skylark Micro Mission.

What skills/experiences do you feel helped you get to your current position?

Obtaining my current position within Skyrora required confidence in the delivery of my tasks and projects. In my opinion, the three top skills needed to lead a Communications and Engagement department are communication, leadership, and organisation. When it comes to communicating, confidence is key to networking, presenting the company, and ensuring you are externally promoting the company’s narrative. Communications skills are also central to ensuring smooth internal communications within your team.

In terms of leadership, it is important to know what the company’s objectives/goals are and be able to effectively deliver these, both within your team and externally.

Finally, organisation is critical in this role. Due to the large volume of responsibilities and tasks assigned to you, it is essential to ensuring that deadlines are met, your team is completing the required projects/tasks, and that the company’s external image is being maintained.

As previously mentioned, upon joining the Skyrora team, I did not have previous experience. I began working one day a week at Skyrora while completing my university degree. However, I believe my passion, eagerness to learn, and ability to listen to and learn from those around me are the qualities that got me to where I am today. The knowledge I have gleaned from others in the industry is invaluable. Indeed, this has increased my passion for the industry and eagerness to continue working in the space sector.

What advice would you give to students interested in your area of work?

My advice, and what I love to promote, is that you don’t need to take a STEM subject to work in the space sector. I hope that sharing with you my background has shown this. I have learned so much in the space sector and have enjoyed every bit of it, especially being able to highlight to the younger generation that passing maths or physics to get a job within the space sector is not a necessity.

My high school subjects included Higher Geography, Theatre Arts, and English and I am proud to say that I work in the space sector. Persistence and passion are what got me to where I am today. I was well-prepped for my interviews and ensured I came across as confident and eager to work for the company. Don’t let other people tell you otherwise. If you have a dream and a passion, there is no one who can stop you from pursuing that!

Update from Katie – March 2022

I am working part time at Skyrora and still very much involved within the same role! However, I also work full-time at Fleet Space Technologies, an Internet of Things (IoT) satellite company based in Adelaide and have relocated to Australia for a year.