Join Our Team
GU Orbit is the University of Glasgow's resident student satillite society with over 60 members across degrees, building satellites and high-altitude balloon missions. Register through this page to join us.
Systems Engineering
GU Orbit's Systems Engineers design, build, and test every subsystem flown on our missions — from the CloudView high-altitude balloons to the upcoming Orcus (CV-3) PocketQube payload and Astraeus-01, our 3U CubeSat for wildfire risk detection. The team is split into eight sub-teams, any of which you could choose to become a part of.
S&D (Structures & Deployments)
The S&D sub-team designs the physical frame that holds every other subsystem together and survives the stresses of launch, ascent, and flight. This covers structural design and tolerancing in CAD (Fusion 360), manufacture of housings and mounts, and deployment mechanisms such as solar panels and antennas.
OBC (On-Board Computer)
The OBC sub-team builds the "brain" of the satellite — the onboard computer and flight software that schedules tasks, processes commands from the ground, and manages data handling between every other subsystem.
Communications
The Communications sub-team designs and operates the satellite's UHF and S-band radio links, making sure commands can be sent up to the satellite and mission data — including imagery from Astraeus-01 — can be downlinked to the ground station.
Thermal
The Thermal sub-team keeps every component within safe operating temperatures despite the extreme swings experienced during high-altitude balloon flight and in orbit, using passive and active thermal control techniques.
EPS (Electrical Power Systems)
The EPS sub-team designs the power generation, storage, and distribution systems — solar panels, batteries, and power regulation circuitry — that keep every other subsystem running throughout a mission.
Software
The Software sub-team writes the code that runs across GU Orbit's missions, from onboard data processing and control algorithms to the ground-station software used to receive and decode data.
Imaging
The Imaging sub-team designs and integrates the multi-spectral camera payload used on Astraeus-01 to build the NDVI and NDMI maps that assess vegetation health, soil moisture, and wildfire risk from space.
ADCS (Attitude Determination & Control Systems)
The ADCS sub-team determines and controls the satellite's orientation in space, making sure the imaging payload points accurately at Earth so the data it captures is usable.
Business Development
GU Orbit isn't just an engineering team — over 60 members work across design, communications, and funding to keep every mission visible, funded, and running smoothly. The Business Development branch is split into six sub-teams: Graphic Design, which shapes our visual identity across posters, social graphics, and merch; Social Media, which runs our Instagram and LinkedIn presence and builds engagement around our missions and competitions; Website, which builds and maintains guorbit.co.uk, keeping it current for prospective members and sponsors; Outreach, which brings GU Orbit into schools and public events to inspire the next generation of engineers; Grants & Funding, which secures the sponsorships and funding that make missions like CloudView and Astraeus-01 possible; and Merch, which designs and manages our branded gear from concept through to sale. Whichever sub-team you join, you'll be helping turn GU Orbit's technical ambitions into something the world actually gets to see.
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The Graphic Design
sub-team shapes how GU Orbit looks to the world — designing event posters, social media graphics, competition presentation materials, and merch artwork. If you enjoy branding, layout, or illustration, this team keeps our visual identity consistent across every mission.
Social Media
The Social Media sub-team runs GU Orbit's Instagram, LinkedIn, and other channels — planning content and writing posts that build engagement around our missions, competitions, and events.
Website
The Website sub-team builds and maintains guorbit.co.uk in Wix — everything from the recruitment pages to mission updates. This team keeps the site accurate, current, and easy to navigate for prospective members, sponsors, and the public.
Outreach
The Outreach sub-team takes GU Orbit beyond the university — running school visits, public talks, and workshops to get younger students excited about space and engineering.
Grants & Funding
The Grants & Funding sub-team keeps GU Orbit's missions financially possible — writing funding applications, managing sponsor relationships, and handling budgets across projects from CloudView through to Astraeus-01.
Merch
The Merch sub-team designs and manages GU Orbit's branded gear — hoodies, posters, stickers and more — from concept through to sale, coordinating with Graphic Design on artwork and handling logistics for ordering and distribution.
Apply to join us
Please complete the form to apply for a position with us.