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MULTIDISCIPLINARY COLLEGE TEAMS

Space Technology & Satellite Systems

An 8-module program to turn curiosity about space into practical systems engineering

Give multidisciplinary college teams a working understanding of how a space mission is designed, from mission goals to spacecraft subsystems, orbits, communication and operations. Teams build a simulated or ground-based educational mission demonstrator, with telemetry you can read, analyse and act on.

Mission designTelemetryPythonSubsystems

Fees, team size and batch dates are shared in the demo class or with your institution.

12 weeks
Recommended duration
5 hours
Study time per day
5 days
Training days per week
300 hours
Total duration

OVERVIEW

What this program is about

Turn curiosity about space into practical engineering. Explore mission design, spacecraft subsystems, telemetry and supervised autonomy through a simulated or ground-based educational mission demonstrator.

One project, start to finish

The program runs as three project milestones on one demonstrator: first a mission concept and requirements, then a working subsystem and telemetry prototype, then an integrated simulated mission with operations and a review. Students from electronics, computer science, mechanical and other disciplines each own a subsystem and learn how the pieces fit together.

How your time is spent

  • 25 Concepts
  • 55 Hands-on building and simulation
  • 20 Reviews and milestones

A typical 5-hour day

  • Concept / instructor session1.5h
  • Hands-on lab and simulation1.5h
  • Team project work1.0h
  • Python and data analysis0.5h
  • Review / documentation / discussion0.5h

CURRICULUM

8 steps from basics to a finished project

Each step ends with something you can show. Open a step to see what you will cover.

  1. Weeks 1-2Space Systems and Mission Basics

    The space environmentmission types and objectivesmission life cyclestakeholders and constraintshow teams and subsystems fit togetherforming project teams

    You deliver: Mission concept and requirements draft

  2. Week 3Orbits and Mission Design

    Orbit typesKepler basicsground tracksvisibility and contact windowslaunch and orbit selection trade-offsorbit propagation in Python

    You deliver: Orbit and ground-visibility analysis

  3. Weeks 4-5Spacecraft Subsystems

    Power generation and storagethermal controlstructureattitude determination and controlpayload basicssubsystem interfaces

    You deliver: Subsystem design sheets and power budget

  4. Week 6Electronics and Embedded Basics

    Sensors and actuatorsmicrocontroller programmingdata acquisitionpower and signal basicslogging data reliably

    You deliver: Sensor and microcontroller prototype

  5. Weeks 7-8Communication and Ground Segment

    Radio link basicslink budgetsantennas overviewground station workflowpacketscommands and protocolserror handling

    You deliver: Link budget and telemetry packet format

  6. Week 9Telemetry and Data Analysis with Python

    Decoding telemetryNumPy and pandasplotting with Matplotlibhealth dashboardsanomaly detection by simple rules

    You deliver: Telemetry decoder and analysis notebook

  7. Weeks 10-11Simulation and Integration

    Mission simulation scenariossubsystem integration testssupervised autonomy and safe-mode logicfault injection and recoverytest reports

    You deliver: Integrated mission simulation and results

  8. Week 12Operations, Review and Demonstration

    Mission operations plandocumentation and review checklistsafety and responsible practicefinal demonstrationpresentation and lessons learned

    You deliver: Final mission demonstration and presentation

AFTER THE COURSE

Skills you will have

Practical skills you will have used on your own project, not just read about.

  • Mission design and systems engineering basics
  • Orbital mechanics fundamentals
  • Spacecraft subsystems: power, thermal, communication, attitude
  • Requirements writing and traceability
  • Link budgets and radio communication basics
  • Microcontrollers and sensors (Arduino or Raspberry Pi class boards)
  • Embedded data acquisition and logging
  • Telemetry design, packet formats and ground stations
  • Python for data analysis (NumPy, pandas, Matplotlib)
  • Simulation tools and orbit propagation libraries
  • Fault detection and supervised autonomy concepts
  • Team collaboration with Git and design reviews
  • Technical documentation and review preparation
  • Space environment, safety and responsible practice

CAREERS

Roles you can apply for

Job titles this curriculum prepares you for. They are examples, not a promise of placement.

ASSESSMENT

How your progress is judged

Your work on the project is what counts. Each area carries a share of the final result.

  • Mission analysis and requirements10%
  • Orbits and mission design10%
  • Spacecraft subsystems15%
  • Electronics and embedded basics10%
  • Telemetry and data analysis in Python15%
  • Simulation and integration15%
  • Milestone reviews10%
  • Final mission demonstration and presentation15%

OUTCOMES

What you will be able to do

  • Explain how a space mission is planned from objectives to operations
  • Write mission requirements and a simple mission concept document
  • Describe orbits, ground tracks, visibility windows and launch and orbit constraints
  • Explain the main spacecraft subsystems: power, thermal, communication, attitude and structure
  • Build a simple sensor and microcontroller subsystem that produces real data
  • Design and parse telemetry and commands for a ground station workflow
  • Use Python to read, plot and analyse telemetry and spot anomalies
  • Simulate a mission scenario and test how subsystems interact
  • Work in a multidisciplinary team with clear interfaces and documentation
  • Present a mission demonstration, results and lessons learned

PORTFOLIO

What you finish with

  • Mission concept and requirements document
  • Orbit and ground-visibility analysis
  • Subsystem design sheets for each team member
  • Power budget and link budget estimates
  • Sensor and microcontroller prototype
  • Telemetry packet format and decoder in Python
  • Telemetry dashboard and analysis notebook
  • Mission simulation scenario and results
  • Milestone review reports (three)
  • Final mission demonstration and presentation

Ready to start building?

Enrol to register your interest, or book a free demo class. Fees and batch dates are shared by our team.

Space Technology & Satellite Systems