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2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Engineering Undergraduate major in Mechanical Engineering

Introduction to Space Engineering

Academic unit or major
Undergraduate major in Mechanical Engineering
Instructor(s)
Toshihiro Chujo / Hiroki Nakanishi / Hiraku Sakamoto / Undecided
Class Format
Lecture
Media-enhanced courses
-
Day of week/Period
(Classrooms)
Class
-
Course Code
MEC.M231
Number of credits
200
Course offered
2025
Offered quarter
3-4Q
Syllabus updated
Mar 19, 2025
Language
Japanese

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

The instructors will lecture on
1) fundamentals of orbital dynamics for spacecraft
2) fundamental theory of rockets

Course description and aims

In this course, we aim at understanding the mathematics of the motion of spacecraft and rockets. Specifically, the basics of the following topics are lectured.
1) Fundamentals of orbital dynamics for spacecraft: two-body problem, Keplerian orbit and orbital elements, orbit transfer, relative motion between spacecraft, rendezvous, planetary equation, fundamentals of GPS.
2) Fundamental theory of rockets: fundamentals of rockets, rocket system, return flight.

Student learning outcomes

実務経験と講義内容との関連 (又は実践的教育内容)

This lecture provides fundamental knowledge on space engineering by professors and lecturers who have experience in the research and development of microsatellites, deep space exploration spacecraft in JAXA, and rockets in MHI.

Keywords

two-body problem, Keplerian orbit and orbital elements, orbit transfer, relative motion between spacecraft, rendezvous, planetary equation, fundamentals of GPS, fundamentals of rockets, rocket system, reentry flight

Competencies

  • Specialist skills
  • Intercultural skills
  • Communication skills
  • Critical thinking skills
  • Practical and/or problem-solving skills
  • This lecture aims at learning 1 and 5 in learning objective.

Class flow

Instructors will give lectures on fundamentals of orbital dynamics for spacecraft and fundamentals of rockets using a blackboard, PowerPoint slides, and videos. Report assignments will be given as needed.

Course schedule/Objectives

Course schedule Objectives
Class 1 introduction, preliminaries preliminaries
Class 2 two-body problem two-body problem
Class 3 orbital elements orbital elements
Class 4 spacecraft position and velocity on orbit spacecraft position and velocity on orbit
Class 5 relative motion between spacecraft relative motion between spacecraft
Class 6 in-plane orbit transfer in-plane orbit transfer
Class 7 out-of-plane orbit transfer out-of-plane orbit transfer
Class 8 rendezvous rendezvous
Class 9 planetary equation planetary equation
Class 10 orbit planning orbit planning
Class 11 fundamentals of rockets fundamentals of rockets
Class 12 rocket system rocket system
Class 13 reentry flight reentry flight
Class 14 fundamentals of GPS fundamentals of GPS

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 afterward (including assignments) for each class, referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

Lecture materials are distributed.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Kaplan, Modern Spacecraft Dynamics & Control, Wiley, 1976.
Chobotov (ed.), Orbital Mechanics, 2nd Ed., AIAA, 1996.
D.A.Valldo, Fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Applications, McGraw-Hill, 2013.
V.R.Bond and M.C.Allman, Modern Astrodynamics, Princeton Univ Press, 1996.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Report (40%) and final exam (60%).

Related courses

  • LAS.M102 ： Linear Algebra I / Recitation
  • LAS.M106 ： Linear Algebra II
  • CVE.M201 ： Basic Mathematics for Physical Science
  • LAS.M102 ： Linear Algebra I / Recitation
  • LAS.M106 ： Linear Algebra II

Prerequisites

Students are required to have a good knowledge of dynamics, vector calculus, and differentiation.