Wed, 08 Jul 2026 Everyone has their own reason for joining SSTL. For Alastair Lawrenson, it was the opportunity to take on greater responsibility while continuing to work at the cutting edge of spacecraft engineering.

After studying Mechanical Engineering at Kingston University, Alastair spent seven years at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, contributing to a number of high-profile ESA missions before joining SSTL in 2022. Since then, he has played a key role across our HotSat programme - supporting HotSat-1 before going on to lead Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) activities for HotSat-2 and HotSat-3.

For Alastair, one of SSTL's biggest strengths is the way it encourages engineers to develop. "You're trusted to take on responsibility, build your skills and keep progressing. It's an environment where you can challenge yourself and continue learning throughout your career."

Looking ahead, Alastair hopes to broaden his leadership responsibilities even further, taking on wider spacecraft programme roles across AIT and environmental test activities. It's another example of how SSTL gives talented engineers the opportunity to grow while helping deliver the next generation of satellite missions.