Spacecraft and Mission Design

Catalog description

This course introduces students to design of spacecraft and missions. Students are introduced to the process of designing a spacecraft and major subsystems to meet a specific set of objectives or needs. In addition, students will learn about different spacecraft subsystems and what factors drive their design. Students complete a term-long spacecraft design project conducted by teams. The project addresses orbital mechanics, the space environment, attitude determination and control, telecommunications, space structures, and propulsion, along with other spacecraft subsystems. The project requirements are selected to reflect real-life missions, and teams are required to design systems which incorporate appropriate engineering standards and multiple realistic constraints. The teams present their design in a final report and oral presentation. Recommended background: astronautics (AE 2320 or equivalent), space environments (AE/PH 2550), spacecraft dynamics and control (AE 4320 or equivalent), telecommunications (AE 3310),space structures (AE 3420 or equivalent), rocket propulsion (AE 4220 or equivalent). Students may not receive credit for both AE 4520 and AE 4771.