Leeds University Rocketry Association (LURA)

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Leeds University Rocketry Association (LURA)

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Theo Youds has always dreamt of going to space. Since forming the first ever rocketry association at Leeds and leading two successful rocket flights, he set his sights on the Spaceport America Cup.

Leeds University Rocketry Association (LURA) is a student-led, multi-discipline engineering team capable of designing, building and flying sub-orbital rockets. Their mission is simple: “We want to prepare the Mars generation. In the next 10 years Mars will happen and we want to make sure Leeds is a part of it.”

“Ever since I was a child, I’ve been obsessed,” says Theo, third year Mechanical Engineering student.

“But space travel has always been one of those things you see in the movies. By building rockets, understanding how things work. I realised it’s all possible and other Leeds students are seeing it too.”

A first year disrupted by COVID-19 restrictions proved the catalyst Theo needed to pursue his passion. In the summer, he applied for the coveted European Space Agency programme and was one of 24 undergraduates selected from across Europe.

Theo said: “I met people doing amazing things. It changed my perspective and I decided to stop waiting for opportunities to come to me. The course demystified things for me. I learnt how rockets worked and brought it back to Leeds.”

At the start of the new term, Theo got to work on his goal: to design and build a rocket to compete in the most prestigious student rocketry competition in the world, the Spaceport America Cup. “It was ambitious,” Theo admits, “the equivalent of picking a new sport and heading straight to the Olympics.”

Theo published a website, developed a social media platform and recruited like-minded students. There are now 30 people on board. “We ran interviews and hired the right people for each job, which ranged from roles in engineering to marketing."

Thanks to alumni donor support, Theo also undertook a summer internship within the School of Mechanical Engineering, which allowed him to focus on the development of fin designs for the rocket. The team raised finances through sponsorship, crowdfunding, faculty support and the University’s business start-up service, Spark.

Theo's Enterprise Scholarship was funded by long term supporter of Spark and Leeds alumus, Professor Adam Beaumont and his company aql.

Theo and his team successfully competed in the Spaceport America Cup, launching their rocket 10,000ft above the New Mexico desert.

Theo said: “This was a particularly stressful flight for the team. We lost sight of the rocket in the clouds and there were reports that the parachutes hadn’t deployed and had hit the ground. Just as we started to lose hope, Freya spotted it gliding down to the ground, both parachutes deployed and in perfect condition.”