At that point, even the idea of handling something that would eventually go into space felt extraordinary. A few years on, that became part of the day job.
Working in SSTL’s manufacturing team has put Paul right at the point where spacecraft designs become real hardware… alongside the designers, machinists and engineers who turn raw materials and components into parts built for flight.
“I remember being really excited by the idea that I might get to touch something that would be in space. Now I can say I have.”
What has surprised him most is the sheer range of skills behind a single mission. Machining, coding, design, test and integration all have to come together to make a spacecraft happen… giving Paul a much broader understanding of engineering than he expected when he first arrived.
There are also the days that still make the job feel slightly unreal. Spending hours in a cleanroom, fully suited up and handling high-value flight hardware destined for space can become surprisingly normal.
Earth observation has given Paul another connection to the work. Satellite imagery regularly appears in news and environmental reporting, creating those moments when he can look at an image on screen and understand something of the engineering behind it… and occasionally recognise imagery from an SSTL spacecraft.
For Paul, though, the biggest thing SSTL has provided is opportunity.
“SSTL has given me a foothold in the industry and the knowledge to understand it. I’ve really grown as a person thanks to the lessons I’ve learnt here.”
Paul will be leaving SSTL in October for his next challenge, moving into mechanical design supporting nuclear fusion… “just about the only thing I could think of as cool as space,” as he puts it.
We’ll be sorry to see him go. But his story is also a good reminder that careers are built through opportunities, experience and the chance to work on things that genuinely stretch you.
From wanting simply to touch something that would go into space, to helping build it… that’s not a bad place to start.