Influx of new talent helps Scottish space company lift off

16/10/2018
Jack James Marlow
Jack James Marlow

Skyrora, the Scottish firm on track to launch some of the UK’s first orbital rockets in the new commercial space race has hired four new members of staff.

The new technical team members at Skyrora join the flourishing firm as it continues to grow and develop its rocket launch capabilities.

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Dr. Jack-James Marlow joins as Propulsion Engineer, responsible for both the construction and testing of engines within the UK.

Kate Howard will focus on the health, safety and risk around Skyrora’s work, underlining the importance it places on the environment it provides for both its staff and clients.

Ben Jarvis is the company’s new Aerostructures Specialist and has already helped to build the rockets Skyrora has already launched and ones it intends to launch in future.

While the firm’s determination to hire the best new talent from university has been demonstrated with the hire of Nicola Walker as Junior Engineer following her graduation from Glasgow University.

Robin Hague, Lead Engineer at Skyrora said: “We’re rapidly growing so it was essential that we added the right technical people to support and complement our talented team.

“The four new staff members bring with them fresh ideas and passion to deliver results which build upon the successes we’ve had so far.

“Each one of their roles is of vital importance to the business going forward and we’re delighted to hire a wide range of people of varying levels of experience to create a really diverse team.”

Dr Marlow said: “I was in no rush to jump at my first full industry role, instead choosing to focus on my research.

“So after completing my PhD I was approached by Skyrora after they’d spotted my research work. This was the opportunity I had been holding out for.

“Something that Skyrora is advancing is Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) effectively metal 3d printing for engine parts.

“I was attracted to this as it is genuinely leading-edge work that has potential to save time, reduce complexity.

“It’s a great place to work and you get an exposure to so many different things, from setting up test sites to setting up supply links to and from different locations. I like the idea of being part of a bigger idea and putting the UK back on the space map.”

Nicola Walker said: “It’s my first job since university and I’m so thankful to Skyrora because I didn’t actually realise you could do something like this in Scotland, which allows me to work locally in my preferred field.

“My role is to liaise with communities to make sure testing isn’t going to cause issues in the areas where we set up and explain the facts behind noise levels and other areas of misconception. I also speak with potential clients about our payload capabilities to ensure we can meet their needs.

“It’s really great to join a diverse team that’s keen to promote and develop females in the engineering sector.”

The rapidly growing Edinburgh based team, aims to capture its share of the fast-growing small satellite launch market and has already created two separate engines for testing at other locations this year. 

Skyrora is developing launch vehicle technology that builds on previous rocket systems with the aim of reducing the cost of launches thanks to proven technology and advanced engineering methods.

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