- Over 300 students from universities across the UK are testing rocket engines as part of a competition led by the University of Sheffield
- With more than half of UK space companies reporting critical skills shortages, the Race2Space competition gives students hands-on experience the sector urgently needs, whilst also boosting students' employability
- The competition also aims to tackle a lack of diversity, opening up space careers to women and other underrepresented groups across the UK
- Finale is being held at the Westcott Space Cluster in Buckinghamshire - the site of Britain's Cold War rocket programme
Some of the UK's brightest young engineers have gathered at the historic site of Britain's Cold War rocket programme for the climax of the world's biggest student rocket firing competition (25 June - 11 July).
Led by the University of Sheffield, more than 300 students from 32 universities have come together at the Westcott Venture park in Aylesbury, Bucks - now a thriving hub of the UK space sector - for the final stage of Race2Space, an education initiative supported by the government's UK Space Agency.
Founded by Dr Alistair John, Programme Lead for Aerospace Engineering at the University of Sheffield, the competition sees teams of students "hot-fire" (ignite) rocket engines which they have spent the last year designing and building from scratch alongside their studies. The tests are taking place on repurposed Cold War-era test stands, now fully modernised to support live liquid-fuel rocket engine firings.
Day one of the competition saw Sheffield's team successfully fire a powerful rocket engine that burns alcohol and liquid oxygen, producing around 5,000 Newtons of thrust - enough to lift a small car off the ground.
