Space Mission Design and Operations

This lecture covers various aspects of space mission design and operations, including concepts like inertial frames, potential and kinetic energy of spacecraft, radiation balance, gravitational wells, Kepler's laws, orbital parameters, and interplanetary trajectories. It also discusses attitude measurement and control systems, gravity gradient effects, electrodynamic applications of tethers, and the use of reaction wheels for stabilization. The course explores the Tsiolkovsky equation, propulsion system efficiency, and the effects of burns on spacecraft motion. Additionally, it delves into the concept of Lagrange points, rendezvous maneuvers, and the utilization of slingshot maneuvers for interplanetary missions.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related lectures (175)

Related concepts (271)

EE-585: Space mission design and operations

This course is a "concepts" course. It introduces a variety of concepts in use in the design of a space mission, manned or unmanned, and in space operations. it is at least partly based on the practic

Space Mission Design and Operations

Explores space mission design, conservation laws, radiation balance, and interplanetary trajectories, including practical applications of reaction wheels and space tethers.

Interplanetary Trajectories: Concepts and Strategies EE-585: Space mission design and operations

Explores interplanetary trajectories, including departure strategies, sphere of influence, and orbit insertion around the destination planet.

Space Mission Design and Operations EE-585: Space mission design and operations

Explores space mission design, propulsion, and re-entry techniques, including aerocapture and electric propulsion.

Space Mission Design and Operations EE-585: Space mission design and operations

Explores the Ax-1 space mission to the ISS, nodal regression, Sun-synchronous orbits, Shuttle and ATV missions, and Crew Dragon's rendezvous with the ISS.

Kepler's Laws and Orbital Mechanics

Explores Kepler's laws, orbital mechanics, energy of motion, flight path angles, orbital maneuvers, Hohmann transfers, geostationary orbits, and Lagrange points.

Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS), taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft where it was the only item funded for development. The first (STS-1) of four orbital test flights occurred in 1981, leading to operational flights (STS-5) beginning in 1982.

Orbital maneuver

In spaceflight, an orbital maneuver (otherwise known as a burn) is the use of propulsion systems to change the orbit of a spacecraft. For spacecraft far from Earth (for example those in orbits around the Sun) an orbital maneuver is called a deep-space maneuver (DSM). The rest of the flight, especially in a transfer orbit, is called coasting.

Geocentric orbit

A geocentric orbit, Earth-centered orbit, or Earth orbit involves any object orbiting Earth, such as the Moon or artificial satellites. In 1997, NASA estimated there were approximately 2,465 artificial satellite payloads orbiting Earth and 6,216 pieces of space debris as tracked by the Goddard Space Flight Center. More than 16,291 objects previously launched have undergone orbital decay and entered Earth's atmosphere. A spacecraft enters orbit when its centripetal acceleration due to gravity is less than or equal to the centrifugal acceleration due to the horizontal component of its velocity.

Elliptic orbit

In astrodynamics or celestial mechanics, an elliptic orbit or elliptical orbit is a Kepler orbit with an eccentricity of less than 1; this includes the special case of a circular orbit, with eccentricity equal to 0. In a stricter sense, it is a Kepler orbit with the eccentricity greater than 0 and less than 1 (thus excluding the circular orbit). In a wider sense, it is a Kepler orbit with negative energy. This includes the radial elliptic orbit, with eccentricity equal to 1.

Geosynchronous orbit

A geosynchronous orbit (sometimes abbreviated GSO) is an Earth-centered orbit with an orbital period that matches Earth's rotation on its axis, 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds (one sidereal day). The synchronization of rotation and orbital period means that, for an observer on Earth's surface, an object in geosynchronous orbit returns to exactly the same position in the sky after a period of one sidereal day.