{"id":13099,"date":"2021-08-28T21:51:54","date_gmt":"2021-08-28T20:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ukseds.org\/ignition\/?page_id=13099"},"modified":"2025-11-09T19:08:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T19:08:44","slug":"national-student-space-conference","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ukseds.org\/ignition\/national-student-space-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"National Student Space Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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The National Student Space Conference (NSSC) is our flagship event of the year. Having been first held in 1989 at London\u2019s Science Museum, we now welcome hundreds of students and recent graduates from across the country.\u00a0It is open to all, and features talks by leading academics and industry figures, a careers fair, and opportunities to take part in discussions and networking events.\u00a0Our speaker line up has included the likes of Tim Peake, Dallas Campbell, and Kathryn D. Sullivan.\u00a0<\/p>

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Each year we select one branch to host the conference. If you are interested in hosting the next NSSC at your university, make sure to keep an eye out for applications around June on our social media channels.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\"NSSC was a fantastic experience which benefited our university society greatly. The skills developed organising such a prestigious event were hugely transferable which has gone on to shape my career.\u201d<\/i><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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Alex Crossman, Local Host 2020<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The conference typically takes place on the first weekend of March. For more information, please see the National Student Space Conference website.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCheck Out This Year's NSSC Page<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Past Events<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2024 \u2013 2nd, 3rd March: The University of Bristol (550+ attendees)<\/b><\/a><\/h2>

The 2024 edition of the National Student Space Conference took place at the University of Bristol. This year’s conference aimed to highlight that there is not just one path into the space sector. Key speakers included former Astronaut Dan Tani, the Deputy CEO of the UK Space Agency Chris-White Horne, and the European Space Agency’s space exploration Director David Parker. The conference saw over 50 speakers cover an array of topics from astrosociology, AI and space medicene to marketing, astrophysics, and entrepreneur<\/span><\/span>ship, to name a few. This was accompanied panels highlighting achievements of the UK space industry and career-focussed workshops aimed at helping students develop key skills in interview technique, programming and rocketry.
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2023 \u2013 4th, 5th March: The University of Manchester (650+ attendees)<\/b><\/a><\/h2>

In 2023, we had the pleasure to host the largest-ever edition of our flagship event at the University of Manchester. Over 650 delegates from across the country, 40 multidisciplinary speakers and over 45 exhibitors (ranging from government agencies, companies and space clusters to university branches and start-ups).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2022 \u2013 5th, 6th March: Kings College London & Online (1100+ attendees)<\/b><\/a><\/h2>

In 2022, we were delighted to return to an in-person edition of our flagship event, delivered in person at Kings College London, but also while still maintaining elements of last year\u2019s hit virtual conference. In keeping with this years theme of championing diversity, our speakers were a multidisciplinary group of the UK’s leading academics and professionals, emphasising that space is not purely for STEM students, but anyone who wants to join our rapidly expanding sector.
We hosted the record-breaking UK Spaceports Panel, Space Data Panel, and STEAM panel. Further talks included ISS operations, space microbes, analogue astronaut missions, space architecture, and spaceflight through the lens of a writer and filmmaker. Our keynote speaker, Katy Haswell, gave us insights into broadcasting launches from the Guiana Space Centre. We concluded the weekend with a workshop on effective time management and avoiding burnout, a topic of great importance for individuals in our sector. For the 7th year running, we continued our collaboration with Airbus on a student presentation competition.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2021 \u2013 6th, 7th March: Virtual (2700+ attendees)<\/b><\/a><\/h2>

In 2021, our annual conference was virtual. We had panels on space entrepreneurship, debris, the future of the UK sector, and spaceports, and we had a premier debate session on the topic of mega constellations. We also had three keynotes this year, Kathy Lueders, associate administrator of the Human Exploration and Operations at NASA, Timiebi Aganaba-Jeanty, assistant professor at the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University, and Prof. Yuichi Tsuda, project manager for JAXA\u2019s Hayabusa2 mission. In addition, we introduced a new opportunity for Ph.D. students to gain valuable speaking experience by offering two students individual speaking slots on their research.<\/p>

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2020 \u2013 7th, 8th March: University of\u00a0Birmingham (500+ attendees)<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/a><\/h2>

In 2020, our annual conference was at the University of Birmingham. We had panels on lunar exploration, the use of space data, diversity & inclusion, and sustainability, as well as talks from sector experts, including a keynote from former NASA astronaut Dr Kathryn Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space. For the fifth year running we are collaborating with Airbus Defence and Space to bring their student presentation competition to the conference. In addition, we have introduced a new opportunity for winners of UKSEDS competitions and branch members to present work they\u2019ve been doing throughout the year.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2019 \u2013 2nd, 3rd March: University of Edinburgh<\/b><\/a><\/h2>

In 2019, the National Student Space Conference was hosted by the Physics and Astronomy Society at the University of Edinburgh. There were panels on a range of topics, from Politics in Space to Space startups. In addition, there were talks from professionals such as Dr Christophe Lasseur from the European Space Agency (ESA) and Scott Hammond, the Operations Director for the Shetland Space Centre.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2018 \u2013 3rd, 4th March: University of Surrey<\/b><\/a><\/h2>

In 2018, the National Student Space Conference was hosted by Surrey Electronics and Amateur Radio Society (EARS) at the University of Surrey. The event was sponsored by Airbus, Thales Alenia Space, Reaction Engines, the International Space University, and the UK Space Agency among many others. It featured talks from leading space science and industry figures such as Libby Jackson from the UK Space Agency, one of the leading UK experts in human spaceflight<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2017 \u2013 4th, 5th March: University of Exeter<\/b><\/a><\/h2>

In 2017, Space: Exe hosted the National Student Space Conference at the University of Exeter. The conference had panels on themes such as Exploration vs Exploitation and Startups in the Space Sector. We had two keynote speakers: Dr David Parker, the Director of Human Spaceflight and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency (ESA); and Professor Carole Mundell, Professor of Extragalactic Astronomy and Head of Physics at the University of Bath. The event also featured the usual careers fair and networking reception.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2016 \u2013 5th, 6th March: University of Sheffield<\/b><\/a><\/h2>

In 2016, the National Student Space Conference was hosted by Sheffield SpaceSoc at the University of Sheffield. The conference had a panel with industry experts called \u201cFuture of the UK Space Agency\u201d, with panellists from organisations such as the UK Space Agency, Reaction Engines and Surrey Satellite Technologies. The keynote speaker at the conference was Professor Mark McCaughrean, the Senior Scientific Advisor in the Directorate of Science and Robotic Exploration. This year also gave students the opportunity to present their work on the topics of rockets, radio telescopes and weather balloons. Another highlight was the discussion on Sunday afternoon on \u201cDeveloping the Space Skills Pipeline\u201d, the first of its kind to involve students in the discussion, giving attendees a chance to directly influence the thinking of those shaping policy in industry and government.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2015 \u2013 28th February, 1st March: University of Surrey<\/b><\/a><\/h2>

In 2015, the National Student Space Conference was hosted by Surrey Electronics and Amateur Radio Society (EARS) at the University of Surrey. One of the keynote speakers at the event was Abbie Hutty, a Spacecraft Structures Engineer on Airbus\u2019 ExoMars Rover Project, whose talk was titled \u201cStructural challenges in the Martian environment\u201d. Another keynote speaker was Dr Matt Taylor, a project scientist on the Rosetta Mission whose talk was \u201cThe Rosetta Mission So Far\u201d. Students had the opportunity to socialise at the Networking Reception sponsored by Satellite Applications Catapult and the evening social on Saturday.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2014 \u2013 1st, 2nd March: University of Leicester<\/b><\/a><\/p>

In 2014, the National Student Space Conference was hosted by Leicester AstRoSoc at the University of Leicester. The conference was attended by industry experts such as the ESA astronaut Major Tim Peake. Our keynote speakers were Dr David Parker, the UK Space Agency Chief Executive, and Professor Richard Brown, Director of the Centre for Future Air-Space Transportation Technology at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. The sponsors for the event included Telespazio, Reaction Engines and the UK Space Agency.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2013 \u2013 23rd, 24th February: University of Bristol<\/b><\/a><\/h2>

In 2013, the National Student Space Conference was hosted by Bristol SEDS at the University of Bristol. Our keynote speakers for the event included Dr Ralph Lorenz of the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab on \u201cExploring Titan\u201d and Dr Jason Hatton of the European Space Agency on \u201cThe ESA ELIPS programme and European ISS Utilisation\u201d. This year was also the 25th anniversary of the founding of UKSEDS, and we had a \u2018Birthday Social\u2019 aboard the boat \u2018Under the Stars\u2019 in Bristol Harbour!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Proud corporate partners with<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n \n \n\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The National Student Space Conference (NSSC) is our flagship event of the year. Having been first held in 1989 at London\u2019s Science Museum, we now welcome hundreds of students and recent graduates from across the country.\u00a0It is open to all, and features talks by leading academics and industry figures, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":""},"class_list":["post-13099","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-21 17:52:26","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":""},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"ticketed":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukseds.org\/ignition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13099"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukseds.org\/ignition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukseds.org\/ignition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukseds.org\/ignition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukseds.org\/ignition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13099"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/ukseds.org\/ignition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23199,"href":"https:\/\/ukseds.org\/ignition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13099\/revisions\/23199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukseds.org\/ignition\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}