LaunchUK: design a nanosatellite to help inform solutions to climate change

From next year, small satellites will launch into Space from UK spaceports for the first time – helping to create new jobs and opportunities for future space scientists and engineers.

Take part in the Nanosat Design Competition for a chance to win part of a £600k Challenge Fund. Submit your satellite design to help inform and support the UK’s climate change efforts.

A launch event was held on 11th November – watch the video here and read the Q&A from the session.

A nanosat is an artificial satellite with a mass of between 1 kg and 10 kg, often used in low Earth orbit for various applications. These small but mighty satellites help us understand the Earth and its many environmental challenges. More recently, nanosats have also been used for missions to Mars and soon will be sent to the Moon and Jupiter.

If you are over 16 and living in the UK, LaunchUK is inviting you to apply to our Nanosat Design Competition. The competition challenges entrants (individuals or teams) to design a nanosat that will support the UK in meeting its decarbonisation and climate change strategy.

There is no requirement for entrants to have previous knowledge or exposure to the space or satellite industries. Nor do they require any particular technical expertise or experience.

We encourage young people of all backgrounds and levels of education to submit applications for this exciting opportunity. Getting involved could lead to exciting space career opportunities, such as marketing or engineering.

Designs will be judged on the strength of their idea and how well they meet the required mission criteria. You should expect to devote 20 to 40 hours to completing your application.

All applications must be received no later than 1pm GMT on 7 January 2022. If you are 16 or 17, you will also need to submit a signed parent/guardian form. Following the shortlisting stage in January 2022, the competition will welcome up to 5 teams to proceed to the advanced stages. Shortlisted entrants will be paired up with space sector experts to help them design and potentially build a satellite, and should expect to commit 10 to 20 hours per week, from January to June 2022.