Program Overview
Program Overview
The SPACE OPERATIONS program, denoted as SPRS505, is a 3.0 semester hour course offered in the first and second semesters. This course is designed to explore the people, events, missions, operations, and basic system principles that have shaped the space industry. It is intended for graduate students with various backgrounds, aiming to familiarize them with space operations principles through work in orbital mechanics, space environments analysis, as well as mission and spacecraft design.
Course Objectives
The primary objectives of this course include:
- Analyze the influence of policy, politics, and physics on the history and evolution of the space industry
- Integrate and outline characteristics, operations, and suitability of launch systems and spacecraft missions
- Calculate and estimate preliminary spacecraft subsystem parameters and architecture
- Articulate a space mission motivation and objectives that support space resources
- Apply design principles to iterate and optimize across multiple subsystem interactions and top-level requirements
- Develop an integrated preliminary spacecraft mission and bus design solution that synthesizes learning
Course Structure
The course is structured as an eight-week online program, featuring asynchronous web content and no on-campus lectures. However, it includes two synchronous, one-hour videoconferencing sessions per week.
Prerequisites
The prerequisite for this course is SPRS501, indicating that students are expected to have a foundational understanding of space-related principles before enrolling in SPACE OPERATIONS.
Learning Outcomes
Through this course, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of space operations, including the ability to evaluate a broad range of existing missions and architectures from different perspectives. They will apply these concepts to the preliminary design of a space mission, synthesizing their learning across various aspects of space operations.