Surrey space students claim victory

A team led by a University of Surrey student has won the prestigious Sir Arthur Clarke Award 2025 for space achievement by a student team. The Jovian-O team was made up of students from Surrey, Portsmouth and Southampton universities, who worked together to design, build and test a sub-orbital satellite-like payload and integrate it onto a rocket ready for launch.

University of Surrey PhD Student in Novel Spacecraft Deployment Mechanisms, Ieuan Matthew Carney (furthest on the right), led the team of students, including Alejandro Parra Pintado (second from the right) from the University of Southampton and Ross Wakelam (third from the right) from the University of Portsmouth.

The team developed their Earth observation payload for another mission, but when its launch was delayed, they quickly changed their plans and adjusted it for launch on a rocket made by Stellar Kinetics. They also designed and tested a prototype deploy pod to carry it and helped develop a mobile ground station to receive data.

We're thrilled to win this award, which recognises the hard work and dedication from the team, and we offer our thanks to the British Interplanetary Society. The whole project was incredible, and we are all so grateful to have been involved. Building practical skills and gaining real-world experience of the space sector made us mission ready. Lots of the team who graduated in the summer are now working for space companies, showing that the real aim of Jovian-O - to develop our skills and make us valuable employees - was a huge success. Ieuan Carney, PhD Student In Novel Spacecraft Deployment Mechanisms

In the summer, some of the team travelled to Etlaq Spaceport, Oman, where they attracted positive feedback for their work, including integration, help with identifying launch windows and rocket preparations. They made composite parts, soldered electronics components, prepared their ground station and various other jobs, plus they did media interviews. Although, the launch was postponed, Jovian-O remains ready.

Jovian-O was part of JUPITER – the Joint Universities Programme for In-orbit Training, Education and Research – which aims to provide the global space industry with skilled workers.

Jovian-O builds on the University of Surrey’s 40+ year heritage of pioneering cost-effective space engineering, this time putting students front and centre. The hands-on mission experience they gained is already helping their careers and is meeting some of the skills needs of the space industry – so strong on the Space South Central region. Huge congratulations to the team on this award, which is further recognition of their achievements. Professor Keith Ryden, Head of Surrey Space Centre, Professor in Space Engineering

Addressing the skills needs of the growing space sector is a priority for the new Surrey Space Institute, which is developing new space skills training across disciplines, building on the successful courses already offered, which include a BSc and MSc in Astronautics and Space Engineering, a respected CPD course in Satellite Communications and the SpaceCraft course for professionals, which helps workers pivot their careers into space.

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Notes to editors:

For interviews, please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange.
Images are available upon request

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Featured Academics

Ieuan Carney

PhD Student In Novel Spacecraft Deployment Mechanisms

Prof Keith Ryden

Head of Surrey Space Centre, Professor in Space Engineering

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