Inaugural UK Student Rocketry Symposium

09/11/2024 BMFA Buckminster National Headquarters

Event Details

Organised in conjunction with UK-SEDS and funded by the UK Space Agency, the UK Student Rocketry Symposium is a live event at which students of all ages can get advice and tips on advanced and high performance rocketry from some of the most experienced and well respected experts in the world of rocketry.

For nearly forty years teams of students and young people have been building their own rockets in the UK with the goal of breaking records and ultimately trying to get rockets over the Karman line. Long before the current well-supported world of student rocketry competitions existed there were independent teams working on shoestring budgets to build very large and very high performance rockets and rocket engines. Most of the challenges and engineering problems faced by student teams now, have been overcome by these amateur teams decades ago, and this is your chance to tap into that knowledge and experience.

The UK Student Rocketry Symposium brings together some of the most experienced members of those teams, many of whom now work in the space sector, for the first time in over twenty years, to talk about the practical aspects of designing, building and launching high-performance rockets. The event will include a series of individual and panel talks by these experts as well as practical demonstrations and 1-on-1 surgeries for you and your team to get specific advice on your project as well.

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Event Location

BMFA Buckminster National Headquarters,

Buckminster Lodge, Sewstern, Grantham,

Lincs NG33 5RW

For directions, and travel advice, please click on ‘visitor info’ at: BMFA Buckminster official website.

The current speakers attending include:

Robin Hague Launch Vehicle Engineer

Robin started in rocket engine research at Salford University and has since been involved in four major rocket projects. In these she built hybrid engines ranging from a 12kN LOX/rubber engine to the world’s only ‘fish-n-chip powered’ rocket engine. She’s contributed to, or organised, the launch of 14 high power rockets, including one of the largest , and one of the highest altitude amateur vehicles ever launched from the UK. Most recently she was part of launcher development at Skyrora, building multiple small suborbital rockets and working towards a microsatellite launch vehicle for the UK.
Ben Jarvis CEO: Launch Access Ltd

Ben discovered rocketry in 1990 and helped legalise HPR in the UK before being a co-founder of UKRA in 1996. Ben has built and launched more high power rockets than any individual outside the USA (over 1200 HPR launches) and set many amateur records through his ‘M.A.R.S’ organisation in the 90’s and 2000’s. Ben has now worked in the commercial launch field for seven years, working for five launch vehicle developers and one spaceport He now runs two space companies focussed on launch services and in-space mechanisms respectively.
Charles Simpson Recovery System Expert

Charles has over 30 years’ experience in experimental rocketry. An active member of UKRA since its inception in 1996. He has served over 16 years on the UKRA council with 10 years as chairman. Charles has flown rockets internationally on three continents and was one of the first of two UK rocketeers to certify to level 3 in the late 1990’s. He has appeared and consulted on TV/national media many times inc. Discovery Channel, Tomorrow’s World (BBC1), Scrapheap Challenge (C4) and Big Breakfast (C4). Charles also works closely with many governmental and regulatory bodies such as the HSE, CAA and UK Gov on space and rocketry matters. He is currently writing up his PhD in aerospace engineering (adaptive recovery systems for planetary entry).

Event Timetable

The timetable for the symposium is currently as follows: (note: details are subject to change without notice):

Start	End	Length	Topic
09:00	10:00	1:00	Registration
10:00	10:20	00:20	Welcome + Introduction
10:20	11:05	00:45	‘Getting High’ – How to design winning rockets
11:05	11:30	00:25	Propulsion for amateur rocketry – choosing the right motor to meet your goals
11:30	11:45	00:15	Aerotech Motor Preparation Demos
11:45	12:00	00:15	Cesaroni Motor Preparation Demos
12:00	13:10	01:10	Lunch + Surgeries
13:10	13:40	00:30	‘Getting it back’ – recovery systems for high power rockets
13:40	13:55	00:15	Recovery demo
13:55	14:25	00:30	Materials for high performance rocketry
14:25	14:40	00:15	Materials demo
14:40	15:00	00:20	Break
15:00	15:40	00:40	Do’s and don’ts – common errors teams often make in competitive rocketry
15:40	16:40	01:00	UK Rocketry Records – how they were set – Panel Discussion
16:40	17:00	00:20	Closing address + thank you’s

Join Us

Places are limited. To book your place at the symposium, please go to the UK SEDS partner events page.

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