July 01, 2025
Race 2 Space students hosted on Astron's test site
We helped out with hosting students from Monash University in Australia and Bristol University in the UK for the UK's Race 2 Space 2025 competition at C-Site, our propulsion test facility. Race 2 Space is a national competition founded to boost practical skills and diversity among graduates entering the UK space sector. Over a two-week period, more than 300 students from 32 universities will have travelled to the Westcott Space Cluster and fired rocket engines.
On one action-packed day we:
1. Qualified a hydrogen/oxygen torch igniter
2. Exercised our water feed system on the nozzle to demonstrate both regenerative and film cooling
3. Performed nitrogen cold gas testing on the full engine
C-Site, as part of Westcott, was originally built in 1947 by the Rocket Propulsion Establishment, and was so secret that it did not appear on public maps. Today, C-Site is being modernised to support next-generation qualification and testing of launch vehicle propulsion systems.
Congratulations to Monash for travelling all the way from Melbourne to take part as one of the few international teams, and for demonstrating exceptional skill and dedication throughout the competition. We look forward to continuing our support for student rocketry and pushing the boundaries of propulsion.