Today the Science Museum and Magdrive, a UK space company, announced a competition for children to design the mission patch for Magdrive’s first in-orbit test mission of its prototype thruster.
The winning patch design will be used for this Going Rogue mission and displayed alongside the prototype thruster in the new Space gallery at the Science Museum, opening this autumn. The mission patch will be added to the Science Museum Group Collection, joining an extensive space technology collection which includes Tim Peake’s spacecraft, several rocket engines, historic spacesuits and mission patches from significant NASA missions. The winner and their family will also get to tour Magdrive’s laboratory to see where the prototype thruster is built and will be invited to visit the Science Museum to see their patch on display.
Magdrive’s Rogue thruster is a new electric propulsion system which uses a metal propellent and high energy plasma to manoeuvre satellites in orbit. The Going Rogue mission will test the thruster’s capabilities in space by manoeuvring an ION satellite, with the mission lasting six months following its launch this summer. With thousands of satellites in orbit, better satellite manoeuvrability is needed to avoid collisions and maintain the satellite-enabled services that many people now depend upon.
The competition to design the mission patch is open to children from today until 6 May 2025. Visitors to the Science Museum will be able to take part during the Easter holidays, with the entry form available to pick up in the museum. Visitors can attend a free drop-in session on Tuesday 15 April from 11.00-15.00 led by a Science Museum Explainer where they can join fellow visitors in creating their space patch idea. Further information can be found via sciencemuseum.org.uk/space-competition.
The patch designs will be judged on their connection to the mission, illustration of space exploration and creativity. The judging panel includes a Magdrive representative and three individuals from the Science Museum: Jon Long, Senior Explainer, Abbie MacKinnon, Curator of Space Technology, and Libby Jackson, Head of Space.
© Science Museum Group.
Libby Jackson, Head of Space at the Science Museum said: ‘The winning patch design will join a long history of mission patches that stretches back to the first space missions. I hope this competition encourages young people to consider this fascinating history, look up at the night sky and visit the museum for inspiration. I cannot wait to look at the brilliant and creative ideas that are submitted and see how the winning design is used for this important mission.’
Dr Thomas Clayson, CTO and co-Founder at Magdrive said: ‘"The Science Museum inspired me to work in science and engineering, and it's an honour to inspire the next generation. The space industry is growing rapidly, and today's young visitors will solve future problems and expand into the cosmos. I'm excited to see their creativity and proud to showcase the mission patch to the international space community."
As most early astronauts were previously military pilots, the military tradition of wearing specially designed patches also became a custom of space missions, and that has continued to this day. Several space mission patches – including for the Apollo missions to the Moon – can be seen in the Science Museum. The winning mission patch will join these historic designs and be displayed in the Science Museum’s new Space gallery when it opens in autumn 2025.
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Notes to editors
For further information and interview requests, please contact Will Dave on william.dave@sciencemuseum.ac.uk. Images are available to download via this link.
Entry forms for the mission patch competition are available in the Science Museum and via sciencemuseum.org.uk/space-competition. To enter the competition, completed designs should be emailed to space@sciencemuseum.ac.uk before 08:00 on 6 May 2025.
The winning mission patch and prototype Rogue thruster will be displayed in the Science Museum’s new Space gallery when it opens in autumn 2025. The new gallery will bring together remarkable objects that celebrate the first space age and the future of space exploration. Space will invite visitors to discover inspiring stories of exploration while offering a new perspective on significant space objects. In a world first, two human flown spacecraft (Apollo 10 Command Module and Soyuz descent module) will be displayed alongside one another, with visitors able to examine the differences between the spacecraft which orbited the Moon in 1969 and the one which travelled to the International Space Station in 2015.
As part of preparations for the new gallery, the museum’s existing Exploring Space gallery will close on 2 June after welcoming tens of millions of visitors over almost four decades. During the summer visitors to the museum can join space-themed volunteer-led tours, take part in free and fun interactive space shows led by the museum’s Explainers, watch A Beautiful Planet and Apollo 11: First Steps in IMAX: The Ronson Theatre and see other remarkable space objects on display around the museum as part of a self-guided tour.
About space technology in the Science Museum Group Collection
The Science Museum Group Collection contains many significant space technology objects including the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft that caried Tim Peake into space and back, the Sokol spacesuit worn by the first Briton in space Dr Helen Sharman, a V-2 rocket, a signed Apollo 11 Flight Plan, Apollo mission patches, the British Black Arrow rocket, an astronaut training chair, a space station toilet and examples of space food, such as a bacon sandwich made by chef Heston Blumenthal for Tim Peake. Further information is available via: collection.sciencemuseum.org.uk/search/categories/space-technology.
About the Science Museum
The Science Museum is part of the Science Museum Group, the world’s leading group of science museums that share a world-class collection providing an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical achievements from across the globe. Over the last century the Science Museum has grown in scale and scope, inspiring visitors with exhibitions covering topics as diverse as robots, codebreaking, cosmonauts and superbugs. The Science Museum was named a winner of the prestigious Art Fund Museum of the Year prize for 2020. www.sciencemuseum.org.uk. Follow on X, Facebook and Instagram.
About Magdrive
Magdrive is developing the next generation of spacecraft propulsion for satellites today, deep space and beyond tomorrow. With high thrust and high efficiency at low mass, the Magdrive’s magnitude improvement in manoeuvrability enables entirely new missions and business models. Be it high cadence avoidance manoeuvres in congested Low-Earth Orbit, repeated rendezvous and close-proximity operations for satellite servicing and orbital manufacturing, or stochastic movement to make defence satellites untraceable.
About Discover South Kensington
Discover South Kensington brings together the Science Museum and other leading cultural and educational organisations to promote innovation and learning. South Kensington is the home of science, arts and inspiration. Discovery is at the core of what happens here and there is so much to explore every day. www.discoversouthken.com.