The course illustrates the fundamental aspects of modern space system design with a practical, hands-on approach. The core part of the course is dedicated to a near-Earth or interplanetary space mission design project, to be carried out by student teams on the basis of a broad-scope mission definition statement. Starting with the identification of the mission requirements derived from a critical analysis of the high-level mission goals, the main design choices and the main criteria involved in the design the various elements of the mission are reviewed, including specialized orbits, space vehicle architecture, ground segment and launch systems. The main issues involved in the design of a space mission are addressed: from the definition of mission goals, to the evaluation of alternative mission concepts, to the selection of a launch system, to mission operations. Team work aspects for a concurrent engineering approach and presentation techniques for complex projects are also introduced and discussed. Special attention is given to the specific design issues of small spacecraft missions and to modern low-thrust trajectory design. Projects deal with assessment of the technical feasibility and economic viability of different mission scenarios; selection of mission profile and timeline; design of orbits and trajectories; launch and in-orbit operations; sizing of the main onboard subsystems (attitude, power, thermal conditioning, propulsion, telecommunications, sensors, etc.) for the relevant space vehicles; and basic project management.

The final exam aims at evaluating the student preparation on the topics covered by the lectures with specific reference to the following aspects: - knowledge acquisition; - critical understanding; - capability of using in a creative and constructive way the information from the course lectures to develop original solutions to an engineering problem. The student will be assessed on his/her demonstrated ability to: - illustrate the derivation from first principles of his/her solution to the given problem(s) by the introduction of the relevant simplifications and/or approximation; - justify the introduction of the simplifications and/or approximations used in the derivation; - assess and discuss the expected level of accuracy and limits of application of the proposed solution. The student must be able to illustrate the reading matter thoughtfully, clearly, synthetically, effectively and with propriety of expression.

Methods:

• Final oral exam
• Continuous assessment
• Written report

Further information:
The final exam consist in an interview where the student will typically be required to: – develop in writing of the solution to an original problem addressable by using the information from the course lectures in a creative and constructive way; - illustrate orally or answer questions on one or more topics of the course. Both aspects will be weighted equally (50%).