From Sidcot to Satellites & Space

Nic Tarquini, Alumnus (S: 2008 – 2015), Mission Director at One Web 

I studied at Sidcot from Third Form to Upper Sixth, taking Design Tech, Physics and Maths at A-Level. Some of my fondest memories of my time in School were of the Maths teachers Mrs James and Mr Hartley and DT teacher, Mr Doig, not forgetting Mr Bateman the English teacher. Mr Doig was instrumental in making me the person I am today. I was very tempted to pursue a career in Economics, however Mr Doig recognised my passion for Engineering and helped me to gain an Arkwright Engineering Scholarship. This made a huge impact on my ability to be recognised for future employment roles and in securing my first choice of University to study Astronautical Engineering at Southampton University.  

I completed a four-year Masters course at Southampton and specialised into Spacecraft Engineering in my final two years. I got involved in some great projects, including the design of 3D printed spacecraft structures, and building a 3D printed bi-propellant regeneratively cooled rocket engine.  

I also completed a placement year in between my second and third year at a leading Aerospace Manufacturing firm, which made aluminium castings for the likes of Airbus and Blue Origin. 

After graduating from Uni in the midst of the pandemic, I moved back to Bristol and took up a job building fences and doing anything involving woodwork with two other Sidcotians, Alfie Thorne and Steve Sayer, the latter with his own company called Woodpecker Services. I worked there for just under two years before deciding it was about time to use my degree in Rocket Science.  

I applied for a job with a company called OneWeb, which seeks to change the telecommunications market by providing internet coverage to the entire world via satellite. This means that anyone will be able to access high speed low latency internet anywhere in the world, with no set up needed, apart from a small User Terminal antenna. I joined as an Operational Engineer within the Satellite Operations Centre (SOC), which looks a lot like a NASA (North American Space Agency) control room. From here we fly out and monitor our 634 satellites. I have since been promoted to Mission Director and I am responsible for the real-time running of the SOC.  

I love my career in the space industry, and perhaps current Sidcotians may also aspire to follow in similar footsteps. I want you to know it’s not as hard as you may think and with an ever-evolving industry, there are a huge number of opportunities available. I am currently mentoring several students for this - get in touch via the alumni office if you would like to know more.