Design and Implementation Methods

A space project goes through several phases during its life cycle:

Definition
Development
Production
Verification
Operational Phase
and Disposal

The realisation of space projects, be it launch vehicles, orbiting satellites or exploration rovers, involves numerous technical and methodological challenges.

While the first focuses primarily on technical issues, such as improving the system's ability to better meet its operational and/or scientific requirements, the second question is as follows:

How can development processes be improved? How can errors be avoided?

Answering these questions requires experience and knowledge about the realisation of such projects. One of the key elements of the Institute is therefore the end-to-end ("initiate, plan, execute, control and finalise") implementation of space projects. This core process makes it possible to identify, evaluate and improve the effects of the individual subsystems and to further optimise the performance of the overall spacecraft system. The Institute attaches great importance to the continuous optimisation of this core process. In this context, advancing digitalisation in the various areas of science, administration and industry plays a decisive role in optimising the life cycle of a space system.

Background Information

Institute of Space Systems

Concurrent Engineering Facility

Concurrent Engineering is a process focussed on optimising engineering design cycles, which complements and partially replaces the traditional sequential design-flow by integrating multidisciplinary teams that work collectively and in parallel, at the same site, with the objective of performing the design in the most efficient and consistent way as possible, right from the beginning.

Institute of Space Systems

System Analysis Space Segment

The department of System Analysis Space Segment researches and develops space systems (orbital and planetary) on a conceptual level taking into account technical, economic and socio-political aspects.

Institute of Space Systems

Space Launcher Systems Analysis

The Department of Space Launcher Systems Analysis (Systemanalyse Raumtransport; SART) at the Institute of Space Systems is responsible for the design and analysis of launcher systems. Areas of research include, not only spacecraft design, but also the design and analysis of propulsion systems. The ability to integrate the study of spacecraft and thrusters in this way places SART in a unique position within Germany.