Testimonials

With a background in physics and a lifelong interest in space and astronomy, the MSc in Space Science and Technology at UCD was the perfect opportunity for me to gain the key skills needed for a career in the space sector. The highlight of the programme for me was the Satellite Subsystems Laboratory. This course required us to design and carry out an experiment for a stratospheric balloon flight. We had to work in teams to build both the flight hardware and software, carry out the launch and then process the data collected. The project was one of the most rewarding experiences of my academic career. It also sparked my interest in space mission design, which led me to apply for ESA's YGT programme in mission concept development for the CAIRT Earth observation mission candidate.

Looking back on the ESA application process, the experiences gained during the Mission Design and Satellite Subsystems modules were particularly beneficial. In the interviews I was able to demonstrate that I understood the importance of requirements and documentation throughout the mission phases. The technical courses and professional skills I acquired during the master’s programme equipped me with the necessary knowledge to secure my role at ESA.

I have an academic background in astrophysics and knew I wanted to have a career in the space industry, but was not sure how to get my foot in the door. The MSc Space Science and Technology course at UCD gave me the opportunity to learn about the different sectors of the space industry and how many different kinds of jobs there are. I really enjoyed learning all about satellites on the course, the different orbital possibilities, the harsh space environment they have to withstand, the different subsystems that make up satellites and what to consider when planning a space mission. The MSc course allowed me to expand my knowledge and develop important skills for the space industry. The project management skills I learned in the Space Sector Professional Skills module and developed during the Tuppersat project in the Satellite Subsystems module directly led to me securing my job at Goonhilly Earth Station.

In my position as Mission Operations Engineer at Goonhilly, I work as part of a team that operates GHY-6, a 32-meter deep space antenna, to track satellites for NASA and ESA missions such as Mars Express and Artemis 1. I use my project management skills in my secondary role managing the development of procedures and other projects.

My academic and professional background was in Aerospace Engineering in the civil aviation industry, but I had always longed for a career related to space and astrophysics, areas which I am truly passionate about. I wanted to pivot my career into the space industry and the MSc was my path to doing so, providing me the opportunity to develop critical specialist skills and knowledge. The core modules of the course were excellently suited to prepare me for the work required for a space role, especially the Satellite Subsystems and Space Mission Design modules, and have had direct and positive consequences on my new space career. Throughout the university year I was able to quickly develop relevant and useful skills, including greatly improving my programming using Python, which lead to being accepted into a remote internship role creating an automated constellation optimisation tool for Spire Global. My performance in the internship secured me a full-time role with Spire as a Space Services Sales Engineer, a versatile position requiring broad technical ability and knowledge alongside an appreciation for the big picture thinking and systems engineering approaches that are fundamental to space mission success – all of which were developed during my time at UCD. Now working in Glasgow, I play an important part in defining Spire’s Space Services technical capabilities and securing new commercial contracts for the company.

My background is in Electrical and Electronics Engineering with extensive work experience in the Telecom industry. During the MSc programme I did my internship with Mindseed Limited in Dublin. The company specialises in space technology consulting. I got the opportunity to work on one of their ESA projects which required support on Sentinel satellite capability assessment and solution development. Which means I had to work on python, machine learning and AI-based script development to analyze mine tailings, water bodies and climate changes, typically due to greenhouse gases. This internship was unique in many ways, first, it was remote working due to the Covid-19 pandemic, second, it involved interacting and knowledge sharing with other interns who joined from University of Florida, USA, and third, my excitement for the project due to my passion for space technology. The most interesting part of the internship was our weekly progress meetings and brainstorming sessions. It kept us all motivated and productive throughout and helped us sail through the intensive three-month period of ‘locked-internship’. My experience from the MSc programme helped me to secure my current role as National Coordinator for the Copernicus Earth Observation Programme at the National Centre for Geocomputation at Maynooth University.

Coming from a physics background, UCD's Space Science and Technology masters served as an ideal platform to launch my career in the space industry. I really enjoyed the space environment module for all the exciting concepts it explored and the space sector professional skills module, which helped me get familiar with the industry's requirements and its procedures. 

My internship was at Innalabs, a world-leading inertial sensors manufacturer. This internship was an amazing experience as it further complemented the knowledge gained in the classrooms. Following my internship, I've been hired by Innalabs as a software engineer to continue to work on its exciting line-up of space projects with ESA and other customers. While I started this course with basic programming knowledge, the space detector laboratory module played an extensive role in enhancing my coding/analytical skills, helping me land this role as a software engineer.

My background is physics from TUDublin. During my 3^rd year placement I was part of the team building I-LOFAR, Ireland’s first radio telescope. This placement made me very interested in the space industry and how the instruments that observe amazing objects within the universe are made! This is when I became interested in the MSc in Space Science and Technology at UCD.

Within the MSc programme you get to do so many cool and exciting space projects, from building a high-altitude balloon mission within a team, and also verifying a space mission through analysis in Tenerife which is then judged by experts in the field of Astrophysics. During the MSc you also get to learn about the space science and the maths governing space operations and carry out lab experiments on CubeSats and detectors. In the final semester of the MSc you take part in a placement, which I did at Réaltra Space Systems Engineering.

I have worked within the Irish space industry in a company called InnaLabs Ltd as a Space Research & Development/Reliability Engineer, working on missions for the European Space Agency and Airbus Space. The MSc has helped me within my role in the space industry in relation to documentation skills and in understanding how instruments may be affected within the space environment.

The practical aspect of the Masters aided in my professional development, refining my experience of computer engineering gained in my undergraduate to better suit the specific challenges of flight control software. I learned principles of software development, project coordination and time management which I was able to rely on during my internship at ESTEC, where I developed control software for CHIMERA, a payload of RADCUBE, launched on Vega flight VV19.

I come from a background in experimental physics. After finishing my undergraduate degree, I found that I had a lot of skills but lacked the knowledge of how to apply them. The UCD Masters course in Space Science & Technology afforded me the opportunity to learn about new and exciting areas of science while still allowing me to improve specific skills to suit the space industry. My favourite part of the course was the Tuppersat project. Here, a team of students from many different backgrounds worked together to learn from each other while also producing a functional high-altitude experiment. For the work placement portion of my course, I worked for Réaltra Space Systems Engineering in Dublin. This was a small start-up at the time, which meant I could get involved in all aspects of the company. I was kept on after my internship and I now have a full-time position as a systems engineer. My job has me developing test apparatus for equipment on launchers, deep space missions and for use on the International Space Station. The skills and experiences from the UCD space Masters have proven invaluable and have carried me further than I ever thought possible.