What will I learn on this module?
This module will familiarize you with the main spacecraft subsystems and their design constraints. You will also learn how these subsystems influence each other as part of a systems engineering introduction.
You will cover the subsystems: structures and mechanics, including deployable assets, attitude determination and control system, electrical and power systems, thermal control systems, communication system including ground support, and the data handling system. For each of the systems, different options and their advantages and drawbacks will be discussed. In the workshops, you will be asked to apply your new knowledge to problems related to those systems and perform trade-off analyses.
You will learn about systems engineering approaches commonly used in the space industry such as requirements engineering and concurrent design. We will also explore risk and change management.
The workshops will provide opportunity to use the design principles to design each subsystem to a given set of requirements. This will be the basis for the first and second assessments, which are a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) presentation and report. The first assessment will allow you to work in a group to design an optimised subsystem as part of a full satellite system.
After the presentation, the teaching team and members of all other teams will provide you with Review Items that should help you improve your design and prepare you to write a detailed individual subsystem PDR report for the second assessment.
How will I learn on this module?
Workshops will allow you to engage with and appraise new material learned in the lectures and assist you in exploring and critiquing key concepts and topics within the module.
Sessions will involve a combination of content delivery and practical learning exercises to enable you to apply your learning to complex and authentic engineering problems. A problem-solving focused curriculum will allow you to explore and analyse solutions to complex challenges where wide-ranging and conflicting constraints require innovative discovery and enterprise. Learning activities will enable you to work collaboratively and practice and reflect upon the effectiveness of teamwork and communication skills, and the facilitation of creative thinking approaches to solve open-ended engineering problems.
How will I be supported academically on this module?
In addition to direct contact with the module team during lectures and workshops, you are encouraged to develop your curiosity by making direct contact with the module team either via email or an open-door policy of the teaching team. You will also be regularly referred to supporting resources including relevant texts and multimedia relevant to the module. References to these resources will be made available through the e-learning portal and in lectures and workshops.
What will I be expected to read on this module?
All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)
What will I be expected to achieve?
Knowledge & Understanding:
1 - Understand the main spacecraft subsystems and their common solutions as well as drawbacks and systems engineering principles in the context of satellites (AHEP4: M4, M6).
2 - Understand the mathematical, physical and engineering concepts that allow the design and sizing of satellite subsystems through the application of knowledge at the forefront of aerospace engineering. (AHEP4: M1)
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3 – Understand how to break down large design problems into smaller systems, evaluating available data and using engineering judgement to work with incomplete information and discuss the limitations of the techniques. Manage risk through design process. (AHEP4: M2, M9)
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
4 - Understand the use of requirements from stakeholders, users, industry standards and regulatory requirements to design a satellite system (AHEP4: M5, M13).
5 - Communicate engineering thought processes concisely and using evidence to describe the decision making and trade space behind the satellite subsystem design chosen. (AHEP4: M16, M17)
How will I be assessed?
Summative assessments
Presentation (50%), 10 minute preliminary design review presentation with slides submitted online in advance. MLO 1, 3, 5.
Coursework (50%), PDR report that adheres to industry standards, submitted online. MLO 2, 3, 4
Formative assessments
Workshops
Feedback will be provided individually and also generically to indicate where the cohort has a strong or a weaker answer to questions and tasks.
Pre-requisite(s)
N/A
Co-requisite(s)
N/A
Module abstract
Within this module you will familiarize yourself with the main spacecraft subsystems. This includes structures and mechanisms, attitude control and determination, power and thermal systems, and communications and data handling.
The basic knowledge will be conveyed in lectures, workshops will provide the opportunity to apply the concepts. You will explore how each of the subsystems is designed based on system requirements and constraints. You will also learn how to apply systems engineering concepts to design a satellite optimized to achieve a set of mission objectives. The first assessment will be a presentation of the PDR of a subsystem and will be the basis for your continued work throughout the module. With the feedback from this formative assessment, you will prepare a detailed report of the PDR for the second assessment. Both assessments are structured as they would be in a real-life PDR at e.g. ESA, NASA or private satellite providers.
Course info
UCAS Code H655
Credits 20
Level of Study Undergraduate
Mode of Study 4 years Full Time or 5 years with a placement (sandwich)/study abroad
Department Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering
Location City Campus, Northumbria University
City Newcastle
Start September 2026
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
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