Wed, 11 Nov 2026 When Eddie Miller spotted a small newspaper advert for a Flight Assembly Operative in 1995, he had little idea how much it would change his life. Having spent nine years working in electronics for companies including IBM and Marconi, he was ready for something different. He had originally hoped to become a doctor or join the RAF, but hearing difficulties had closed off those options. His fascination with electronics, and understanding how things worked, had led him down a different path.
 
That path brought him to a small satellite company based at the University of Surrey. Eddie hadn't realised that complete spacecraft were being designed and built in the UK, let alone just down the road. He got the job, and quickly discovered something else that surprised him: a welcoming, close-knit team where everyone, from technicians to professors, seemed to be treated as equals.
 
His first assignment was building the electrical harness for FASat-Bravo, followed by work on missions including TopSat, BILSat, RapidEye and GIOVE. Over the years, Eddie progressed into senior inspection and flight assembly roles, took a period away working elsewhere in the space industry, and eventually returned to SSTL for opportunities involving the Galileo and FORMOSAT programmes. Since then, he has contributed to an extraordinary range of missions, from Tyche and CarbSAR to HotSat and Lunar Pathfinder, with Space Norway, JUNO and Lazuli among the latest projects keeping him busy.
 
Today, as an AIT Integration Manager, Eddie has accumulated an impressive breadth of hands-on experience across spacecraft manufacture, from circuit boards and electrical harnesses to solar panels and propulsion hardware. Yet it's the people around him that continue to make the greatest impression.
 
"I've hardly ever had a day when I didn't want to come to work. Every day brings a different challenge, and I'm surrounded by people who take real pride in doing things properly."
 
After 30 years, Eddie remains as enthusiastic about SSTL's future as he is proud of its past. He's particularly encouraged by the younger engineers and technicians joining the company, bringing fresh ideas, enthusiasm and an appetite to learn.
 
"The young people coming in today are brilliant. They're hungry for knowledge and experience, and I hope they get as much out of working here as I have. The opportunities and friendships I've found at SSTL have meant a great deal to me."
 
Thirty years on from answering that small newspaper advert, Eddie is still enjoying the opportunities it brought him – and seeing a new generation discover those same opportunities for themselves.