Amina Zien is a master’s student at Kingston University, specialising in Aerospace Engineering with Astronautics and Space Technology. She has recently been offered a graduate scheme working for Ura Thrusters, a propulsion company in Westcott Venture Park. We asked her about the Space industry Centre for Excellence course in propulsion test safety she completed over the summer.
“I did the course with Charlie of Plastron and Chris of European Astrotech last year in the final year of my BSc. We did four days online then a day of practical training at Westcott. It complemented my degree perfectly as I didn’t have any experience of propulsion training and needed this to be able to move on to my internship with Lift Me Off.
The course covered all we need to know about propulsion testing including the importance of safety. It is obviously extremely important to double check all the connections and valves of each propulsion system. All engineers should know how to test the connections and piping, ensuring there is no leakage. Propulsion testing is necessary to make sure everything works so components and subsystems can be certified.
I’m 100% committed to a career in the space industry and so the course was ideal. It showed a great appreciation for the procedures needed. I am a mechanical designer, and this showed me what I need to know for testing and how it all links together. The trainers gave us lots of example of when the design doesn’t work quite so well during the practical and how to manage that.
I think the course is ideal for everyone involved in aerospace studies at university. It is the kind of thing that everyone needs to know. I’m sure the course helped me secure my place on the graduate scheme.”
The Space Industry Centre for Excellence is a collaboration established by European Astrotech and Plastron UK in 2021. It’s purpose is to provide critical vocational skills development to technologists entering and working in the space sector. Our skills programmes are designed to ensure participants learn best practice in handling tools around and on spacecraft, making them safer, improving their employability and mitigating risks for businesses. Since 2021, 300 students and professionals have been supported by the Centre.