Spacecraft & Launch Vehicle Design
Propulsion (How Momentum Is Generated)
Propulsion choices determine achievable Δv, mission duration, and system complexity. In simple terms: you trade speed and simplicity against efficiency and time.
- Chemical rockets: high thrust; ideal for launch and impulsive maneuvers.
- Electric propulsion (ion/Hall): high efficiency (Isp), low thrust; excellent for station-keeping and deep-space spirals.
- Nuclear thermal propulsion: conceptually high thrust + better Isp; example R&D direction: DRACO.
Structures & Materials (Strength, Mass, and Survivability)
Structural design balances mass (performance) with strength (loads) and robustness (environment). In simple terms: every extra kilogram costs money and performance.
- Lightweight structures: aluminum-lithium alloys, composites, optimized trusses.
- Inflatable habitats: volume-efficient approaches for human spaceflight concepts.
- Radiation shielding: a 2026 focus area includes hydrogen-rich polymers and multilayer strategies.
Subsystems (The Spacecraft as a System)
A spacecraft is a network of subsystems with coupled constraints: power ↔ thermal ↔ comms ↔ avionics. In simple terms: changing one subsystem almost always affects at least one other.
- Thermal control: heaters, radiators, MLI; keep components within allowable ranges.
- Power systems: solar + batteries; modern deep-space direction includes fission surface power.
- Communications: RF systems and growing use of optical/laser links for high throughput.
- Avionics: compute, fault management, command and data handling.
Launch Vehicle Design (A Very Constrained Optimization)
- Staging: a practical method to increase performance by shedding mass.
- Mass fraction: structure + propellant + payload drive feasibility.
- Trajectory and loads: max-Q, vibrations, thermal loads, and guidance constraints.