An article by Lara in Year 12
Earlier this term, students doing the GDST Space Tech Diploma were given the incredible opportunity to spend a day at the Harwell Space Cluster, a hub of over 100 organisations working across the UK’s space sector.
We began the morning with a group coding challenge that introduced us to the principles behind the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) rotation system. We worked together to simulate how JWST must always face away from the Sun, which gave us a glimpse into the complexity of spacecraft engineering.
The highlight of the morning was the keynote talk from Libby Jackson OBE, one of the UK’s leading experts in human spaceflight. Her passion for space, from her childhood interests to her achievements across ESA and the Science Museum, was incredibly inspiring.
After that, we had short mentoring sessions with professionals from across the space industry, which was a great chance to ask questions and get personal advice. This varied panel included specialists working in areas like exoplanets, Earth observation, satellite engineering, AI, and space sustainability. It was fascinating to see how many different jobs exist within the space sector.
In the afternoon, we toured a few of the companies based on the Harwell campus. At Orbit Fab, we learned about in-space refuelling and how it could completely change the way satellites work. Then at Oxford Space Systems, we got to see their deployable antennas, which fold up for launch and then open out once they reach orbit. Walking through real labs and seeing the equipment up close made the whole day feel even more exciting.
The Harwell trip not only expanded our understanding of the space industry but also left many of us excited and motivated to pursue careers in science and engineering.
