In this course you will learn essential knowledge to undertake the multidisciplinary and multi-objective design of space missions and the investigation of the critical issues associated with them. You will study the fundamental physics and environmental factors that affect the design and behaviour of the spacecraft, launch vehicle, and propulsion systems carrying out such missions. You will focus on the fundamental technical notions underpinning the design of advanced space mission concepts and technologies such as CubeSats. You will tackle realistic challenges, which are introduced from real past and future mission concepts tackling contemporary issues (such as CubeSat constellations for Earth observation, space domain awareness or communication & navigation, commercial space transport) and learn to achieve an efficient and cost-effective mission concept. Emphasis is placed on critical analysis of mission requirements within the constraints posed by the spacecraft environment.
You will also be introduced to the most relevant industry standards for the Design, Development, Test and Evaluation (DDT&E) of space-qualified hardware and software. The DDT&E and operational standards covered in the course include both non-human-rated and human-rated space missions.
Lectures are delivered to cover the mission elements including the spacecraft, payload, and launch systems as well as the spacecraft subsystems such as the power, propulsion, attitude/thermal control, and telecommunications.
If you are enrolled in this course as a component of your Bachelor Honours Program, your overall mark will contribute to the calculation of the Weighted Average Mark (WAM).