Designing Space Missions and Space Environment Training

Designing Space Missions and Space Environment Training

Designing Space Missions and Space Environment Training is a 3-day course where participants learn the key concepts on space missions and space environment as well as learn to describe the big picture of space missions, space environment and systems.

Designing space missions requires meticulous planning and focused cooperation among all stakeholders.

In designing space missions, those involved create a preliminary design and project plan as a proof of concept specifying what to build, when to launch, the course the spacecraft is to take, what is to be done during cruise, when the spacecraft will reach the target, and what operations will be carried out.

Space probes are the most common space projects that require considerable design input. The types of space probes include:

• Fly-by missions pass nearby planets and moons and take data from a distance.
• Orbiters are parts of missions designed to stay in orbit.
• Landers are parts of missions intended to land on a planet or moon.
• Rovers are vehicles designed to travel across a planet or moon’s surface.

NASA is particularly excited about upcoming projects that have gone through much design and testing.

In December 2025, NASA plans to return to the moon with Artemis III, which is planned to land the first astronauts near the lunar South Pole.

Then there’s Artemis IV, which is planned to be the first mission to incorporate the Gateway lunar space station.

Through Artemis, the agency will establish a long-term presence at the moon for scientific exploration with our commercial and international partners, learn how to live and work away from home, and prepare for future human exploration of the Red Planet.

According to NASA, its foundation for deep space exploration include the SLS (Space Launch System), exploration ground systems, NASA’s Orion spacecraft, along with the human landing system, next-generation spacesuits, the lunar space station, Gateway and future rovers.

Designing Space Missions and Space Environment Training Courses by Tonex

Designing Space Missions and Space Environment Training is a 3-day training course, with a structured approach to the concepts and principles of space mission and space environment design.

The course focuses on conceptual understanding of space missions, space environment, mechanics, maneuvers, propulsion and control systems used in all space missions.

Participants will learn the key concepts used in the design of space missions, manned or unmanned, environment and operations.

Challenges related to the use of the space environment as a platform for scientific and utilitarian purposes are discussed.

Participants will analyze an integrated view of space science mission design and operations from planning, analysis, conceptual design, and requirements engineering, through spacecraft design, development and verification, validation and test, to development of mission operations concepts, ConOps, communication systems and ground, and space mission  infrastructure capabilities.

The effective design and development of space mission systems is predicated on a firm understanding of the foundational technical and systems engineering components necessary to both comprehend the design task and formulate an appropriate solution.

Topics Discussed:

• key elements comprising space systems and an analytic methodology for their investigation
• Space Missions
• Space Environments
• Space Missions Projects
• Autonomous Systems and Aeronautics
• Space Missions Systems Engineering
• Space Missions Project Management
• Space Missions Operations
• Space Mission Design, Engineering and Testing
• Fundamentals on astrodynamics, power systems, communications, command and data handling, thermal management, attitude control, mechanical configuration, and structures
• Fundamentals of Vehicle Management, Data Processing, Propulsion, Structures and Mechanisms, Crew and Life Support, Materials Processes, Electronics and Power, Environmental Science
• Techniques and analysis methods for remote sensing applications

Who Should Attend:

Systems and subsystem engineers, project managers, analysts and investigators and anyone else who is responsible for the space mission design and operation.

Learning Objectives

This three-day onsite designing space mission and space environment training course examines the real-world application of the entire space missions, operating environments, ConOps, systems analysis and design, sustainable operations and engineering disciplines.

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Learn the key concepts on space missions and space environment
• Describe big picture of space missions, space environment and systems
• Illustrate space science mission design and operations
• List the architecture and system components of a space mission
• Describe space mission ConOps, requirements, architecture and configuration, payloads, vehicle subsystems, design and manufacturing, verification, validation, integration and operations
• Compare space mission systems design and mission operations
• Describe procedures and methodologies for translating space mission needs, goals, objectives, requirements, and designs into practical key parameters related to the operations concepts
• Illustrate practical, detailed ideas and tools to analyze and design space segment support for manned and unmanned missions
• List practical methods for space mission analysis and design, trade-offs and key performance indicators
• Practical experience with applying space systems engineering processes, tools and methodologies to develop conceptual designs for space missions and systems

Course Agenda and Topics

Designing Space Missions, Space Environments and Systems 

• Introduction to Space Missions
• Introduction to Space Environment
• Introduction to Orbital Mechanics
• Dynamics of Spaceflight
• Interplanetary Trajectories
• Propulsion in Space

Space Mission Systems Engineering

• Systems Engineering for Space
• Fundamentals of Engineering Space Systems
• Applications of Space Systems Engineering
• Small Satellite Development and Experimentation
• Spacecraft Hardware Design Considerations
• Satellite Communications Systems
• Sensors and Electro-Optical Space Systems
• Ground System Engineering and Mission Operations
• Space Mission Formulation
• Spacecraft Propulsion
• Space Weather and Space Systems
• Attitude Determination and Control of Space Systems
• Spacecraft Avionics and Power Systems
• Flight Software for Space Systems
• Antenna Design for Space Systems
• Space-Based Radar Systems
• Reliability Engineering and Analysis for Space Missions
• Spacecraft Integration and Test
• Space Mission Design and Navigation
• Requirements and V&V

Planning and Managing Mission Space Projects

• Assuring Success of Aerospace Programs
• Applied Innovation for Technical Professionals
• Management of Systems Projects
• Management of Complex Systems
• Foundations of Modeling and Simulation in Systems Engineering
• Systems Architecting
• System Conceptual Design
• System Design and Integration
• System Test and Evaluation

Space Mission Analysis and Design

• Mission Scope and ConOps
• Mission-level Trade-offs
• Design Solutions
• Orbits and Trajectories
• Launch and Space Environments
• Launch System Services
• Spacecraft Engineering
• Spacecraft System Architecture
• Payload Design
• Subsystem Design
• Mission Operations
• Mission Analysis and Evaluation
• Technical Risk Assessment and Cost Estimation

Designing Space Missions and Systems

• Conceptual Mission Design
• Orbit Design Spacecraft Design
• Subsystem Design and Implementation
• Mission Operations
• Cost and Risk
• Mission & System Design & Operations
• Space Systems Engineering

Emerging Space Systems, Design, Services, Components, and Supporting Infrastructure

• Developments in space access
• New and evolving space services, commodity components, and emerging technologies
• Assets, products and supporting services
• Satellites and components, software and communications
• GEO, MEO, LEO, HEO, CubeSat (U-class spacecraft)
• Space Microsystems and Micro/Nano Satellites
• Techniques for analyzing missions and performing trades
• New technology and software-defined systems
• Commodity spacecraft components
• Small satellite buses
• Launch and ground systems services
• Analysis of cost, schedule and risks, and the likelihood and degree of meeting goals
• Overlaps in different space-related domains
• antenna types and more use of relays
• Technical feasibility or nascent capability of space mission design approach and techniques
• Technical reports, test data, prototype designs/models, and performance goals/results
• Assess mission-level impacts of spacecraft, payload, operations, data processing and other elements
• Commercial applications to space system design, and evaluation

Space Microsystems and Micro/Nano Satellites

• Conceptual Mission Design
• Orbits Design
• Spacecraft Design
• Spacecraft Subsystem Design
• Implementation, Operations and Evaluation
• System Realization
• Space Mission Operations
• Evaluating Mission Risk & Cost
• CubeSat (U-class spacecraft)
• System Technology of Micro/Nano Satellite
• Attitude Control System of Micro/Nano Satellite
• Satellite Avionics
• Ground Test of Micro/Nano Satellite
• Space Optical Attitude Sensor
• Inertial Measurement Unit
• Micro Propulsion Technology
• Gyro and Magnetometer

Space Mission Design and Environment Simulation Tools

• Trajectory Design and Optimization Tools
• General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT)
• Debris Assessment Software (DAS)
• Mission Analysis Low-Thrust Optimization program (MALTO)
• SPICE (Spacecraft Planet Instrument Camera-matrix Events)
• Optimal Trajectories by Implicit Simulation (OTIS)
• Mission Operations Software
• Open MCT (Mission Control Technologies)
• Radiation Analysis
• Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS)

Designing Space Missions and Space Environment Training