Wed, 04 Jun 2025 When SSTL was founded in 1985, Tim Howes was a student of Electronic Engineering at UCL - spending his summer working at the Ministry of Defence's RSRE site in Malvern. That same summer, while the world watched Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, Tim was across the road at Wembley Arena, catching Dire Straits live in concert.

Tim joined SSTL in October 2007 and has been a vital part of our spacecraft software development ever since. Over the years, he has written and refined flight software for everything from power nodes on RapidEye, UK-DMC2, and Deimos-1, to OBC (On-Board Computer) software across multiple missions including Sapphire, DMC3, S1, VESTA, ELSA-d, SatVu, and Tyche.

Whether helping to bring new spacecraft online during commissioning campaigns or solving complex in-flight software challenges, Tim’s fingerprints are on many of the systems that keep our satellites operating reliably in orbit.

Reflecting on his journey, Tim says: “Since joining SSTL there have been very few mornings or the occasional late night that I have not looked forward to starting work at such a cooperative and intellectually stimulating environment on some of the most interesting challenges I have faced in my career.”

Thank you, Tim, for everything you’ve contributed to our SSTL journey.