At Magdrive we believe that building the future of space propulsion goes hand in hand with supporting the next generation of scientists and engineers. In October and November of this year, some of our team returned to their academic home, Imperial College London, to help inspire students exploring careers in space, fusion and plasma physics. Filip Szczebak (Mechanical Engineer), George Hicks (Head of Experimental Physics) and Thomas Clayson (CTO) are all Imperial alumni and played key roles in recent outreach events on campus.

LEOHack: 27 Hours of Space Engineering Creativity

Filip helped run the second edition of LEOHack; a hands on hackathon focused on developing hardware and software for in orbit debris removal. The first LEOHack took place at Imperial three years ago and this year the event returned with even more energy. Magdrive organised it in partnership with the Imperial College Space Society, whose current president, Ollie, was our intern this summer.

More than 40 students from departments across the university took part. They were split into 12 teams and given 27 hours to design, build and test a demonstrator for tackling space debris. Alongside this, they had to show how their concept would survive and operate in a true space environment.

The atmosphere was full of curiosity, rapid prototyping and a lot of late night problem solving. Two winning teams emerged, although the real success was the number of inventive ideas and the enthusiasm shown by everyone involved.

LEOHack in numbers:
• More than 40 students
• 27 hours of building, coding and testing
• 12 teams
• 2 winners
• Countless questions and ideas

Fusion and Plasma Physics Careers Day

On the same campus but in a different lecture theatre, Magdrive physicist George Hicks joined Imperial’s Fusion and Plasma Physics Careers Day, run by the Department of Physics. The event brought students together with researchers and industry specialists to discuss the work that is shaping the future of energy and space propulsion. This made it an ideal setting for George to introduce students to the real world applications of plasma physics within Magdrive, and to show how the principles they study today translate directly into the advanced propulsion systems we are developing. Talks explored a wide range of topics, including laser inertial fusion, magnetic confinement and the latest plasma technologies used in both research and spaceflight.

Creating Opportunities for Future Innovators

Outreach is an important part of our mission at Magdrive. Events like LEOHack and Imperial’s Fusion and Plasma Physics Careers Day help students gain hands on experience, ask ambitious questions and explore career paths they may not have considered before. They also strengthen the ties between academia and industry, which is essential for developing technologies that will define the next era of space activity.

We look forward to continuing our outreach in 2026, supporting more student events and opening our doors to the next generation of engineers and scientists.