This year, Miranda (Upper Sixth) was named the 2025 winner of the Viasat: Space For Good competition with her satellite CLIO (the Cloud Laser Ice Orbiter). Now in its second year of running, the prestigious national competition aims to support young people aged 16-21 in developing safe and sustainable space technology.
Earlier this year, Miranda was selected as one of the final eight contestants showcasing designs at the UK headquarters of Viasat, a world-leading global satellite telecommunications company. The contest was conducted over three rounds: previously, contestants were first challenged to create an original concept, then a 60 second video communicating it.
As a finalist, Miranda spent three days there, where she developed aspects essential for producing CLIO – from costing to space law to cybersecurity. Another crucial part was ensuring the science behind her idea could win over potential investors (and the judges). On Awards Day, every finalist delivered a 30-minute presentation to industry experts, including judges representing Lockheed Martin, the UK Space Agency and the Royal Institution.
Miranda said: “I loved my time at Viasat from the moment I arrived. Besides being assigned two brilliant mentors to support me via their expertise, I found the company energy to be exhilarating – employees produce incredible innovations and everyone seems to love what they do!”
“It was the title Space For Good which drew me in. There’s so much criticism out there about how some space infrastructure can negatively impact the environment. I believe reducing this impact is one of the industry’s most pressing challenges to overcome this decade. I wanted to challenge myself by coming up with a technically feasible innovation that cools the Earth far more than it warms it."
“It was a special few days, ending with an elegant awards dinner – slightly nerve-wracking for finalists as the top three placings were announced right at the end! I want to express my thanks to BGS for always encouraging me in my passion for space. You can really get involved with it at school… whether that’s using the observatory telescope or helping out with outreach events for younger years (such as during my time at BGS there was the Star Show featuring Greek myths and their role in the night sky – including a ballet!)."
“In class I learnt about albedo which helped inspire my idea. By firing intense infrared light at cirrus clouds to multiply ice crystals within, CLIO aims to whiten cloud tops, reflecting solar heat away from Earth in a minimally impactful way. Cirrus clouds have such a significant heating effect on our planet that a fleet of ten satellites could actually slow our warming trajectory. That’s potentially a lifeline for our planet,” says Miranda.
“I’ve dreamed of working in the space industry for many years. Exploring the sustainability angle while learning how to take a wild idea to a launchable project has only made me even more excited for a future within it. I would advise any younger pupil that’s interested in space to never dismiss their ideas. If you dream of an incredible job or novel technology, you can absolutely work to pursue it. Everything counts towards your goals.”
Many congratulations to Miranda on this spectacular achievement. We can’t wait to see what she turns her hand to next!
