Feroz Khan, studying on the MEng (Mechanical Engineering) programme is currently working with Neutron Star Systems - made possible by the UK Satellite Applications Catapult.

By Mr John Stevenson (Senior Communications Officer), Published

MEng (Mechanical Engineering) student, Feroz Khan, is currently enjoying an internship with Neutron Star Systems, a firm of young scientists and engineers exploring the use of high-temperature superconductors for spacecraft applications.

619176The prestigious and competitive Space Placement in Industry (SPIN) has been made possible by the UK Satellite Applications Catapult on a project titled, SUPREME Plasma Thruster: Cryogenic System Preliminary Design.

The Satellite Applications Catapult is one of a network of UK technology and innovation companies which aim to drive economic growth through the commercialisation of research. Its aim is to support UK industry by accelerating the growth of satellite applications and to contribute to capturing a 10% share of the global space market predicted by 2030. It achieves this by exploiting the innovation potential in the UK industrial and academic communities, by being a focal point where small and medium enterprises, large industry and end users can work together with researchers to challenge barriers, explore and develop new ideas, and bring these to commercial reality.

Feroz, who has already started his internship is delighted. He said:

Securing the SPIN internship at Neutron Star Systems is phenomenal. From the onset, it was very clear the application was going to be competitive. On top of that, the brunt of it was ongoing during the final set of exams! I have to give a huge thanks to the organisers involved in the ET3107 Module. Their learning outcomes reflected the exact requirements I needed to fulfil the second line of the application.

This involved a thorough report on my full eight-week plan over the summer, including work breakdown and Gantt chart. Furthermore, a detailed response to the design considerations for the pertinent project and how they are impacted by being used in space. Finally, a report on my views on how the UK space industry would evolve over the next 20 years. All of this required an intense literature review, thoughtful report making and skills in computational modelling. My advice to future students is to focus all your energy on the ET3107 design and individual modules, it's definitely the most immediately applicable work to industry.

Feroz’s individual project was completed as a member of City’s Advanced Composites Research Focused Group – within the Aeronautics & Aerospace Research Centre in the School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering (SMCSE).

The research group is focused on multi-disciplinary research, innovation and enterprise activities mapped across different technology readiness levels (TRL1-6), multi-material and multi-scale pioneering approaches for design, manufacturing, joining, sensing and structural integrity assessment of advanced and futuristic polymer composite materials and structures.

The group comprises academic and research staff, post-doctoral researchers, students, lab technicians and industrial partners.