Reuben Chesterman, Space Engineering Technician

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What I do

I handle space hardware – making satellites and other equipment which go into space. I build them up, fit the parts together and help test them to make sure they will survive both the launch and the harsh environment of space.

I often work in clean rooms (work areas free of dust or germs) or use big vacuum chambers (areas where we can pump all the air out to simulate what space is like). A lot of the spacecraft we make helps scientists monitor things like climate change and natural disasters, but they cover all sorts of other areas including astronomy, space weather, and space exploration.

A man in a medical grade PPE using a scalpel to cut some foil like material

How I became a technician

My path to becoming a technician is a bit less structured that most people. I didn’t do amazingly in my GCSEs. I chose business studies, psychology and graphic design for my options.

After school, I decided to go to college rather than stay on at my school’s sixth form, because I wanted to be treated more like an adult and get more freedom.

How I became a technician

I knew I liked science, so I did a two-year BTEC in forensic science, but during the course I realised it wasn’t for me. I found it a bit boring and I didn’t want to commit to studying it at university.

I decided to go into work, and I got a job in a clean room at a medical manufacturing company making stents, which are tiny expandable tubes that go inside arteries to treat heart disease.

How I became a technician

After that, I went travelling for about nine months. I volunteered at a rainforest research station in Peru, surveying biodiversity, and rare species of frogs and butterflies. It was interesting to be part of a project learning about how the rainforest is recovering.

When I came back, a friend told me RAL Space were hiring. I joined nearly seven years ago, starting in multi-layer insulation (the silver and gold foil blankets you see on satellites that help maintain the satellite’s temperature).

How I became a technician

After about four years doing that, I applied for my current MAIT (Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration, and Testing) role, and now I’m building and testing satellites.

My previous roles have given me useful skills and experience, and I’ve also learned loads on the job here at RAL Space.

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A typical day in my
working life

No day is ever the same, but I usually come in early, around 8am, which means I can finish earlier. If it’s a calm day, I’ll start with a cup of tea.

Sometimes we have a quick team meeting in the morning to plan the day, then it’s into the clean room where we do most of the assembly work.

A typical day in my
working life

My favourite days are when I’m in the clean room or lab for most of the day. I love being hands-on – building the hardware from parts, bolting panels together, fitting brackets and sensors, or setting up tests.

If I’m doing thermal testing (making sure the hardware can survive both hot and cold temperatures), I might be installing lots of thermal sensors and getting the vacuum chamber ready so we can simulate space.

A typical day in my
working life

Other days are more paperwork-based - reviewing documents and procedures to make sure the steps make sense and checking what we need to do.

I’m normally finished at around 4:30pm, but when things are busy it can be longer. Sometimes I’ve started at 6am and I’m not finished until 6pm or 7pm if I’m working on a big project, but I always get to take that extra time back, which is good.

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I love the problem solving. It really makes me think, and I like that my brain has to stay switched on.

If you don’t know your destination yet, keep trying things and you’ll find your way.

A surprising fact about my job

People often think space projects happen fast, but they can take years. You might build a small component now, and the mission won’t launch until years later. Even after something launches, there are teams who keep it running for years, handling the data and making sure it stays in the right orbit.

A little more about
my everyday role

What I love most about my job

I love the problem solving. It really makes me think, and I like that my brain has to stay switched on. I also love that it’s hands on and I’m not sat behind a desk all day.

I’m dyslexic, so I always knew a job that was just computer work wouldn’t suit me. I still have to write procedures and emails (you can never fully escape that), but most of the time I’m physically building and handling real hardware, from tiny parts to big support structures.

The best bits about working in a team

My team is small, with around 7 technicians, but we work across lots of projects. Even if we’re not all on the same job at the same time, we swap around and collaborate a lot. The best bit is knowing I can turn to anyone and say I need a hand with something, and people will jump in and help.

We’ve also got a real mix of backgrounds – some people came through apprenticeships, some through university routes, and some (like me) took a less structured path. That variety is genuinely useful because everyone brings different skills and ways of thinking.

The most exciting thing I’ve achieved so far in my job

I’ve worked on three projects that have been launched into space. Two of them were Earth observation satellites: MicroCarb (monitoring carbon emissions over cities) and EnMAP (looking at pollution in rivers). Another was a telecommunications satellite.

I also worked on a component for a lunar lander, but it had problems on launch and didn’t make it – it came back down and burnt up in Earth’s atmosphere. That was disappointing, but it’s part of the industry. It’s still really hard to launch things into space, and lots can go wrong. When it does go right though, it feels amazing.

The next steps in my career journey

I’m looking at doing an HNC (Higher National Certificate) in mechanical engineering. I’ve learned loads on the job, but I’d like the theory behind what I’m doing, and a qualification on paper as well.

The advice I’d give to someone younger

Just keep at it. If you don’t know your destination yet, keep trying things and you’ll find your way. It’s as much about finding what you don’t want to do, as finding out what you do want to do. Also, don’t be afraid to try – say yes to opportunities when they come up as you never know what they could lead to.

My school days

At school, I wasn’t that fussed about education and learning. I also remember being pretty clumsy growing up (my dad still jokes about how on earth did I became a technician!). I’m left-handed too, and a lot of tools and setups are made for right-handed people, which can make things awkward at first.

Looking back, I think what helped most was persevering and getting more confident by doing practical things over time.

What I like to do in my spare time

I like doing things that feel really different from work – you need a proper break. I play board games, and I go to gigs a lot – I'm mostly into punk and metal, but I like other stuff too.

I’m also involved in an environmental group called Sustainable Didcot. We run a repair café where people bring broken items and we try to fix them, which helps stop things going into landfill.

My favourite piece of equipment

We use an ultrasonic bath, which is a bath that uses sound waves to clean parts, instead of water. Because our hardware needs to be super clean, we’ll put things like bolts in and turn it on, and you can literally see dirt coming off that you couldn’t even see before. It’s very satisfying, and it’s important because cleanliness really matters when you’re building something that’s going into space. A spec of dirt or dust could affect how something works.

The advice I’d give to someone younger

Just keep at it. If you don’t know your destination yet, keep trying things and you’ll find your way. It’s as much about finding what you don’t want to do, as finding out what you do want to do. Also, don’t be afraid to try – say yes to opportunities when they come up as you never know what they could lead to.