A school space club took a step closer to reaching orbit this week with the help of engineers from the University of Bath.

The all-girl Astrogazers club, based at Croydon High School GDST, successfully completed the final stage of live testing their Mission Pegasus project on Tuesday (1 July), when their prototype CubeSat satellite was carried aboard the FAAM Airborne Laboratory aircraft, a highly modified BAe-146 aircraft used for atmospheric research.

The prototype gathered data to prove their satellite payload – which measures air quality in the atmosphere – can function and communicate effectively. The data, alongside measurements taken at ground level from the school roof and from the FAAM aircraft itself, is now being analysed.

The launch this week brings the Astrogazers closer to realising their dream of becoming the first all-girls school in the world to design, build and launch a satellite into space.

Professor Cathryn Mitchell, from the University of Bath’s Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, is a long-term supporter of the project, previously helping them to launch a weather balloon from the University campus that reached the edge of space. She said: “This flight test is a major milestone in Astrogazers’ ambition to reach space. What seemed incredible is now becoming a reality.

“If they have done everything perfectly, which I believe they have as I’ve seen how rigorously they work, then they will record the data and bring it back to analyse as they would if it was coming back from a real spacecraft mission.”

Dr Robert Watson, also from the Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, added: “The Astrogazers team haven’t just learned about space technology - they’ve built it. From science to software engineering, to electronics and carrying out assembly, integration and test, they’ve once again demonstrated that with curiosity, creativity and teamwork, complex engineering is not only accessible - it’s theirs to lead.”

Mrs Arabi Karteepan, Head of Physics at Croydon High School, founded the Astrogazers Club and was awarded the prestigious Royal Astronomical Society’s Secondary and Further Education Award in 2024. She said: “When one of my pupils asked me ‘can we go to space?’, naturally I said yes.

“Our students have built a working satellite instrument and have now tested it under genuine flight conditions. Part of their success is due to the fact that they operate with all the professionalism of a real space company. This is real science, performed at the highest level.”

The project has also been part funded by the Royal Society and the University of Bath Alumni Fund, and generously supported by Spirent Communications, FAAM, Cranfield Airport, Surrey Space Centre, and Mullard Space Science Laboratory.

The Astrogazers plan to launch their CubeSat in 2026-27.