Today the Science Museum and Magdrive, a UK space company, announced Troy Elsworth, aged 12, won the national competition for children to design the mission patch for Magdrive’s first in-orbit test of its plasma thrusters. Troy was presented with an embroidered patch of his winning design on stage at the UK Space Conference by Abbie MacKinnon, Curator of Space Technology, Libby Jackson, Head of Space at the Science Museum, and Chuong Van Dang, Chief of Staff, Magdrive. Troy’s design was worn by the Magdrive team for the recent launch of their Going Rogue mission.
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L-R: Libby Jackson, Head of Space, and Abbie MacKinnon, Curator of Space Technology, at the Science Museum, with Troy Elsworth and Chuong Van Dang, Chief of Staff, Magdrive © Magdrive; Troy’s winning mission patch design @ Magdrive.
More than 1600 entries were received for the competition from children across the UK, with the designs judged on their connection to the mission, illustration of space exploration and creativity. Seven designs were shortlisted by the judging panel, with Troy’s winning design selected due to its imaginative design that captured the thruster technology in action.
Troy Elsworth said: ’When I heard the mission patch competition advertised on the radio I decided to enter as I had recently been to the Kennedy Space Center and liked seeing the mission patches. The competition gave me the chance to see if I could design one myself. I got my inspiration from the Magdrive maximum thrust image and wanted to show the satellite reaching for the stars.’
Troy’s winning patch will be displayed alongside Magdrive’s prototype thrusters in the new Space gallery at the Science Museum from 20 September 2025. The patch is now part of the Science Museum Group Collection, joining other space technology items, including the Soyuz spacecraft which carried astronaut Tim Peake into space and back, several rocket engines, historic spacesuits and mission patches from significant NASA missions. Troy and his family will also receive a behind-the-scenes tour of Magdrive’s laboratory located at the Harwell Campus, Oxford, and visit the Science Museum in the autumn to see the winning patch on display.
The mission patch competition was judged by a panel including Thomas Clayson (CTO and Co-Founder at Magdrive), Chuong Van Dang (Chief of Staff), Katrina Nichols (Head of Marketing), and Zola Dang. They were joined by three representatives from the Science Museum: Jon Long (Senior Explainer), Abbie MacKinnon (Curator of Space Technology), and Libby Jackson (Head of Space).
Libby Jackson, Head of Space at the Science Museum said: ‘I want to thank each of the more than 1600 children who entered our competition and shared their brilliant ideas with us. It was a joy – and a challenge – to pick just one winning design to represent Magdrive’s mission, the technology and the people who made both a reality. Troy’s design stood out because it captured the essence of the technology in a unique and visually appealing way. A good mission patch is interesting, original and tells a story, and Troy’s design ticked all those boxes. I am thrilled we can display Troy’s patch alongside Magdrive’s prototype thrusters in our new Space gallery at the Science Museum.’
