Application of Systems Engineering

Academic unit or major

Graduate major in Engineering Sciences and Design

Instructor(s)

Hiraku Sakamoto

Class Format

Lecture/Exercise (Face-to-face)

Media-enhanced courses

-

Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)

5-8 Thu

Class

-

Course Code

ESD.D506

Number of credits

110

Course offered

2024

Offered quarter

3Q

Syllabus updated

Mar 14, 2025

Language

English

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

For space explorations and space developments, achieving objectives (missions) often requires the construction of large and complex systems. The same is true for other various projects, such as international aid or resource developments. In this lecture, students will learn, through hands-on activities, practical systems engineering, which is a methodology of how to develop and operate large, complex systems.
The target of this lecture is to provide hands-on experience using a nano-satellite development kit and model-based systems engineering (MBSE) exercises. By doing this, students will get a feel that systems engineering is not a mere theory but a collection of modern best practices. The students will obtain the groundwork for applying the systems engineering methodology to the system development projects that they will lead by themselves in the near future.

Course description and aims

By completing this course, students will be able to acquire the following skills:
1) Students will be able to apply systems engineering in practice, through group assignments.
2) Through assembling a nano-satellite kit, as an example of a complex system with integrated subsystems, students will able to understand how the individual elements are integrated into one system, as a physical sense.
3) Through experiencing model-based systems engineering students will be able to utilize the methodology to comprehend and trade-off a complex system without relying on huge documentation.

Keywords

system, design, project, verification, validation, management, satellite, MBSE, sysML

Competencies

• Specialist skills
• Intercultural skills
• Communication skills
• Critical thinking skills
• Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

The handouts are distributed in the lecture. Students will learn practical systems engineering by using nano-satellite’s hardware and system models as examples of complex systems. Students will be divided into teams to make a satellite mission proposal. Students will be divided into English and Japanese teams for the team activities. (Presentations should be in English.)

Course schedule/Objectives

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to the course material.

Textbook(s)

None

Reference books, course materials, etc.

NASA Systems Engineering Handbook (NASA/SP-2007-6105)
INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook (INCOSE-TP-2003-002-03.2.2)
The handouts are distributed in the lecture.

Evaluation methods and criteria

The achievement of the objectives is assessed by the assignments in each lecture (50%) and the final presentation at the end (50%).

Related courses

• MEC.M332 ： Space Systems Design Project
• MEC.M432 ： Practical Space Engineering Project
• GEG.T503 ： Introduction to Systems Engineering

Prerequisites

Students should have a basic knowledge of programming, as the course will involve simple programming using mbed.
Satellites will be used as an example of a system, but no knowledge of space engineering is required.
It will be easier to understand this lecture if you have taken GEG.T503, but taking GEG.T503 is not required. This lecture will provide an explanation that can be understood by students who are learning Systems Engineering for the first time.

Other

Lectures are given in English, but Japanese may be used for team activities. However, presentations must be made in English.