About us
KCL Space, founded in 2017, is a student-run society which comes under the Department of Physics. The aim of KCL Space is to provide its members with opportunities to engage in stellar space-related activities, organised with our partners in industry and society partners. We also work to bridge the gap between the space industry and the students aspiring to become a part of it. We aim towards closing this gap through academic support, workshops and opportunities to network with others already within the space industry. Want to become an astronaut, or generally interested in the space career sector? We've got you! Join like-minded individuals during your time at King's, and reach for the stars!
Academic Events
KCL Space invites a variety of speakers to talk to our society members about their exciting new discoveries in the space sector and career opportunities in the field. In the 21/22 term, we have been hosting public lectures, airing the second season of our podcast series "Across the Karman Line" and collaborating with societies both inside and outside of King's to bring you events such as the Project Alpha Centauri Hackathon #PACHACK, where members can complete challenges and compete to win internship prizes with their friends! Not only that, but we were privileged to have hosted the NSSC (National Student Space Conference) 2022 here at King's, giving our members the best opportunity to meet and network with a huge variety of space companies in the UK! This year, we aim to provide our members with even more exciting opportunities. It's a great time to be a member of KCL Space!
Social Events
KCL Space hosts a varitey of social events, including the Annual KCL Space Winter Ball (a truly magical experience), a plethora of pizza evenings, tonnes of space-related movie nights and competitively themed games nights. Not to mention some day trips to space facilities in and out of London and nighttime stargazing! There are so many events to choose from - there is bound to be something for everyone! We've designed these events for members to meet and socialise with other society members and to have fun - make good use of them!
Affiliations
KCL Space is an affiliate of the United Kingdom Students for Exploration and Development of Space (UKSEDS) and the Institute of Physics, two big companies that work to bridge the gap between students and the workplace.
The society also has strong links with the Asteroid Mining Corporation (AMC), International Space Elevator Consortium (ISEC), The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and many others! We work to partner with them on our events and provide workshops, lectures and even internships for our members - and the list of companies keep on growing every year!
Facts about KCL Space
- We are comprised of both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students
- We welcome students of all backgrounds with open arms into the family of space enthusiasts. Space is universal after all!
- We create and provide a safe environment for our members, letting them be free to explore the vastness of the universe and themselves at the same time. Our members join to learn more about the fascinating topic of Space and our Universe, and to make lifetime friends with similar mindsets!
- We have partnered with the NASA Space Apps Challenge hosts to bring the Challenge to London last year
- We hosted the Google DevFest 2021 for UK & Ireland where developers from all over the UK participated in workshops, talks and sessions in the latest developments!
- We have hosted the National Student Space Conference 2022 (NSSC 2022) at King's
- We have been awarded the Gold Society Badge from KCLSU for the last two years
Awards & Achievements
We are proud to say that our Society has won many awards for its brilliance (all down to our amazing committee and members!):
- KCL Space has been awarded the 2020 Branch of The Year Award from UKSEDS, as well as The UKSEDS Most Improved Branch of The Year 2022.
- KCL Space was recognised by KCLSU as a Gold Society for the terms 2020-2021, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.
- KCL Space has won NASA's SpaceApps Challenge and reached runners up in The World Finals
- KCL Space hosted The National Student Space Conference (NSSC) 2022 at King's College London, in partnership with UKSEDS.
- KCL Space has won KCLSU's Activity Group of The Year Award 2022 (The highest award given by KCLSU to an activity society)
Discipline
Our Society members typically study a subject in the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences (NMS), but we also have members from over 30 other Faculties and Departments! So don't feel that you are not studying in the right department to join us - our members are incredibly diverse and you will always feel welcome!
Rocketry & The KCL Space Rocketry Team (KSRT)
We have partnered with KCL Robotics to partcipate in the Olympus Rover Trials in the past, and we also build rockets and work towards the UKSED’s National Rocketry Championship to build and launch the highest flying rocket! For semester one, we would be adding study resources, slides, course recommendations and live sessions where students can learn the needed skills for mechanical project workings, and in semester 2 we would work hand on building the machines. This year we aim to launch our rockets and beat our records, so don't miss out on this oportunity! Join KCL Space and its' Rocketry Team, KSRT, for an amazing experience building and launching a rocket.
CubeSats
We have previously entered the UKSEDS CubeSat Challenge, where we designed a CubeSat to detect trash in the oceans. This year we want to go a step further and build our own CubeSats. Watch this space for more info!
Space Law
The KCL Space Moot Team competes with the chance of going before the International Court of Justice. They also host Moot Competitions with the KCL Bar and Mooting Society on topics surrounding Space Law, a current hot topic! Follow along on our social media for updates.
Conference Delegations
Every year, we send delegates to the UKSEDS National Student Space Conference. In 2022, KCL Space were fortunate enough to host the National Student Space Conference here at King's for the first time and be the London host for the first time in 18 years! We were awarded the Most Improved Branch of the Year Award which was presented by Ken Gordon of the European Space Agency. We also provided our members with a chance to attend the NSSC 2023, which was held in Manchester this year!
KCL Space have also recently hosted our inaugral space conference: The X3 Space Conference, at our Strand Campus. We will hopefully keep this event as an annual one in the following years: follow us to stay updated!
Outreach
We started an outreach programme in October 2021 where we visited local high schools in our community to talk about pursuing degrees in STEM and the potential to work in the Space Industry. Due to its success, we will be establishing this a core activity of our society, continuing it this year.
Committee (2022/23):
President - Samhita Manukonda
Chair - Isha Parvaiz
Co-Vice President - Amida Anand
Co-Vice President - Subhash Wadhwani
Treasurer- Jana Bazeed
Secretary - Mohammed
Head of Marketing - Asra Saqib
Head of Space Medicine - Sakshi Mangal
Head of Space Law - Katie Mak
Head of Rocketry - Srinidhi Dantu
Head of Well-Being: Jenna Min Schmidt
Head of Podcast: Kajol Mistry
Systems Head & Chief Strategist: Nate Levy
Social Media
To know more about our society, and to follow us for updates, news and space facts, follow our social media channels! The links to all are posted at the top of the page. Feel free to contact us for any queries, no matter how big or small - we are here to help ;)
Join us
To join our member base as a KCL Space member, simply go to the top of this page and click 'add to basket' the option that suits you, then 'buy' the membership. If you are a King's student, you are applicable for the Standard membership. If you are not a King's student, the membership will still be free, but you will be applicable for the Associate membership. Both are free of charge.
Please contact us (contact@kclspace.com) if you have any questions x