Finding My Path in Engineering

I was drawn to the practical side of physics and loved Design and Technology, particularly building functional things, so engineering felt like a natural choice. I chose aerospace engineering because I wanted to challenge myself and explore some of the most demanding areas of engineering.

I also wanted practical industry experience alongside my degree. Bath’s strong reputation for aerospace engineering and placements made it an ideal choice, especially the opportunity to spend a year working in industry.

Bath Rocket Team

I joined the Bath Rocket Team in 2024, shortly after returning from my placement at a rocket company. Initially, I joined the oxidiser feed system team within propulsion. I helped redesign our pressure vessel and build on and optimise work from previous years.

In the second semester of my third year, I worked as the Technical Integrator. In that role, I oversaw much of the systems engineering side of the rocket that we designed as a team. I ensured the different subsystems worked together as one complete vehicle. This gave me a strong foundation in both the technical aspects of the rocket and the systems-level thinking required to manage a large engineering project

Over the summer, I worked on the combustion chamber side of propulsion in preparation for a hot-fire test. I became Team Lead in my final year.

This was by far the most intensive part of my time on the team, but also the most rewarding. We took several designs through to manufacture and testing, making what I believe was one of the most productive years the team has had.

From design to leadership

As Team Lead, my role was effectively split into two parts.

The first part was the management side. I helped shape the team's direction by selecting people for leadership positions at the start of the year. I ensured we met key deadlines, managed some of our industry partnerships, and helped make sure the team was represented professionally both externally and online.

The second part of my role was Technical Lead, which was much closer to systems engineering. I oversaw the project from a technical perspective. I ensured each subsystem interfaced correctly with the others, monitored the rocket's overall parameters and performance, contributed to technical documentation and design reviews, and kept our design and manufacturing timelines aligned.

Above all, I had to learn when to give people space to solve problems themselves and when I needed to step in, reallocate resources or change priorities to keep the wider project moving.

Achieving more together

The best part of the Bath Rocket Team is seeing everyone work together towards a common goal. At a high level, that means subsystem leads communicate effectively and ensure their individual designs contribute to a functioning overall system.

It is incredibly satisfying when a project runs smoothly, and I can trust the people around me to take ownership of their work and deliver what they have committed to. It also demonstrates the power of teamwork. Collectively, we can achieve far more than any one person could achieve individually.

The aerospike challenge

An aerospike is an altitude-compensating engine, allowing it to maintain strong performance across a wider range of atmospheric pressures than a conventional bell nozzle. This makes it an exciting propulsion technology, but also an exceptionally challenging one to develop.

For me, the project was about more than the technical challenge. The UK’s space and propulsion sector is growing rapidly. University teams have an important role in developing the engineers needed to support that growth. Projects like ours provide hands-on experience with real hardware and responsibility that is difficult to replicate in a classroom.

“I’m particularly grateful for the freedom and support Bath gives students to pursue ambitious projects. They trust us to tackle genuinely challenging engineering problems, work with real hardware, and take ownership of our projects."

Building a career in space

My experience with Bath Rocket Team has connected me with inspiring industry professionals and like-minded students, while making me a much stronger engineer. Working across complete design processes gave me a broader understanding of rocketry, propulsion, systems integration, manufacturing and testing.

Just as importantly, I developed my leadership, communication and public-speaking skills. I became more confident making decisions without an obvious right answer.

Most of all, the team repeatedly pushed me outside my comfort zone. Each challenge forced me to learn something new and showed me that by continuing to seek out those situations is where I grow the most.

I’m going into an exciting role at the heart of the space industry with Exolaunch. I’ll be working on satellite integration missions from their early stages through to physically integrating spacecraft with launch vehicles.

What excites me most is the combination of engineering, operations and project management, while being directly involved in the process of getting spacecraft into orbit.

I want to build as much experience and as broad a network as possible across the space industry, particularly on the satellite and launch side. Longer term, I want to work at the forefront of the industry and contribute to the wider revolution in access to space, exploring what more affordable and accessible spaceflight could enable for humanity.