Space School UK celebrates 20 years at the University of Leicester

Space School UK celebrates 20 years at the University of Leicester

Space School UK is celebrating 20 years at the University of Leicester.

In normal times, Space School UK would be busy welcoming 180 young people to the University of Leicester, across three week-long summer schools.

During the residentials, students get the opportunity to hear lectures from space professionals and get hands on with laboratory experiments. Students also complete “astronaut training” through indoor skydiving and scuba diving challenges, compete in a rocketry competition, camp out under the stars, and visit the National Space Centre in Leicester. 

Space School UK was founded in 1989 to support sixth form students in their space careers, and has since expanded to welcome young people aged 13-18 with an interest in all things space, from astronomy to planetary science and engineering to space medicine.

Leicester is a natural home for Space School UK, and it been the base of Space School UK for 20 years. It is a city already recognised as a leader for space innovation, highlighted by government and industry investment in the new Space Park Leicester, a new hub for space activities in the UK. Space School UK is looking forward to giving students experience of the space industry when the Space Park opens to visitors.

Dr Tracey Dickens, the Director of Space School UK, said:

“This year marks the 20th anniversary of Space School UK being held at the University of Leicester. Leicester has been the home of not just Space School UK, but also the home of incredible scientific missions such as SWIFT, Beagle 2, XMM-Newton, and more recently, the James Webb Space Telescope.”

“Spending a ‘week in space’ surrounded by this scientific expertise gives our students the opportunity to stretch their understanding of space and future career paths. Space School UK is a fantastic opportunity for young scientists to fully immerse themselves in a topic they love, and to build friendships which will last them a lifetime.”

“While it is sad that we cannot celebrate this milestone in person, we are looking forward to getting back to the lecture theatres and laboratories of the University of Leicester in 2021.”

Whilst Space School UK 2020 has been cancelled, we have been sharing educational space resources and memories online. You can follow these posts on Facebook and Twitter.

Registration for Space School UK 2021 will open later in Autumn 2020.