UNIVERSITY students in Scotland’s capital are being offered the chance to find out more about the opportunities available to them in the UK’s thriving space sector.

Supported by Scottish space firm Skyrora, the “Beyond Earth” event in Edinburgh will discuss what the future holds for society as advancements in the space sector continue, as well as making students aware of career opportunities available to them in the growing industry.

The event boasts a panel of industry experts, with talks from chief medical officer at the Austrian Space Forum Dr Rochelle Velho, Professor Charles Cockell of the

UK Centre for Astrobiology and Dr Nicol Caplin and Dr Aiden Cowley of the European Space Agency.

Calum Hervieu, the event’s organiser and Edinburgh University alumni, said: “Having studied in Edinburgh myself, I found that being north of the border can mean students aren’t aware of the opportunities available to them in this growing industry.

“That’s one of the reasons why having an Edinburgh company like Skyrora as one of our sponsors is such a great fit.

“Students will walk past their offices on Princes Street every day and hopefully by coming along they’ll realise the number of exciting opportunities available to them,” he added.

The event comes shortly after Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation, Ivan McKee’s predictions that the Scottish space sector could be worth up to £4 billion by 2030.

Skyrora is currently developing launch vehicle technology for a future Scottish spaceport that builds on previous UK space heritage, something that led them to successfully transport the Black Arrow rocket – the only British launch vehicle to reach orbit – back to the UK from the Australian outback earlier this year for educational outreach purposes.

The firm has signed up to the STEM Ambassador Programme and visits schools across the country to teach students about science and engineering

Held at Edinburgh University’s George Aikman lecture theatre on March 29, the evening is free to students and welcomes the public for the admission price of £5.