Sutton High Space Tech Students Network with Tomorrow’s Top Rocket Engineers 

Following participation in an international liquid motor simulation coding workshop hosted remotely by the Brazil-based developers of RocketPy 3D rocket trajectory simulation software, our final Space Technology field trip for the academic year took our Year 12 students, accompanied by Ms Buttigieg and Mrs Cox, to the 2024 Race 2 Space Student Rocket Symposium at Westcott Venture Park. This event, organised and led by the University of Sheffield, was an exemplary showcase of engineering talent at Westcott’s rocket propulsion test facilities, in collaboration with nations market-leading propulsion companies. In addition to touring the testing site and witnessing a live rocket engine hot-fire demonstration, the students were fortunate to attend a comprehensive panel session on propulsion skills development in the UK. They celebrated the culmination of two weeks of remarkable successes (and some glorious failures!) of 19 university teams that had designed, built, tested, and fired their own liquid motor rocket engines. As well as being provided an up-close look at each of the engines, our students seized the opportunity to network with top propulsion graduates in the UK, who represent the next generation of rocket engineers. They also gained substantial first-hand knowledge during the event, which forged invaluable links with industry.