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Postgraduate DiplomaAerospace, UAM, Drones & Space Applications open

Diploma in Mission Design and Interplanar Transfers

Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in mission design and interplanetary transfers. 8 modules covering space mission design, patched conics, Lambert's problem and launch windows, gravity assists, the three-body problem, low-thrust trajectories, and arrival and orbit insertion, with an assigned technical tutor.

Duration6–8 months
ModeOnline
LanguageEnglish
Start datesSet by the faculty
AwardSEIUM Institute diploma
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Learning outcomes

What you will be able to do

01

Apply the phased space mission design process.

02

Design interplanetary transfers using patched conics.

03

Solve Lambert's problem and generate porkchop plots.

04

Plan gravity-assist sequences.

05

Analyse trajectories in the restricted three-body problem.

06

Design low-thrust interplanetary trajectories.

07

Plan arrival, orbit insertion and planetary protection.

Profile

Who it's for

  • Mission design analysts.
  • Flight dynamics engineers.
  • Space systems engineers.
  • Astrodynamics researchers.
  • Interplanetary navigation engineers.
  • Science mission planners.
  • Engineering or science graduates looking to join a space agency.
Standards & tools

What you'll work with

  • ECSS-E-ST-10C (system engineering general requirements)
  • ECSS-M-ST-10C (project planning and implementation)
  • ECSS-U-ST-20C (planetary protection)
  • COSPAR Policy on Planetary Protection (international planetary protection policy)
  • CCSDS 502.0-B (Orbit Data Messages)
  • NASA/SP-2016-6105 (NASA Systems Engineering Handbook)
  • 1967 Outer Space Treaty (international space law framework)
  • GMAT
  • SPICE Toolkit
  • pykep
  • STK
  • MATLAB
Syllabus

8 modules

  1. 1.1Project life cycle and phases
  2. 1.2Science objectives and requirements
  3. 1.3Mission architecture
  4. 1.4Mass and delta-v budgets
  5. 1.5Launchers and C3 energy
  6. 1.6Trajectory selection
  7. 1.7Deep-space communications
  8. 1.8Risks and margins
  9. 1.9Mission reviews
  10. 1.10Workshop: architecture of an asteroid mission
  1. 2.1Sphere of influence
  2. 2.2Hyperbolic departure
  3. 2.3Heliocentric phase
  4. 2.4Hyperbolic arrival
  5. 2.5Hyperbolic excess velocity
  6. 2.6Interplanetary Hohmann transfers
  7. 2.7Synodic period and windows
  8. 2.8Planetary ephemerides
  9. 2.9Limitations of the method
  10. 2.10Practical exercise: Earth-Mars transfer with patched conics
  1. 3.1Formulation of Lambert's problem
  2. 3.2Solution algorithms
  3. 3.3Type I and II transfers
  4. 3.4Porkchop plots
  5. 3.5C3 launch energy
  6. 3.6Declination of the departure asymptote
  7. 3.7Launch windows
  8. 3.8Robustness to delays
  9. 3.9Date optimisation
  10. 3.10Lab: Earth-Venus porkchop plot
  1. 4.1Flyby mechanics
  2. 4.2Rotation of the velocity vector
  3. 4.3Powered flybys
  4. 4.4VEEGA and similar sequences
  5. 4.5Tisserand criterion
  6. 4.6Resonances
  7. 4.7Planetary tour design
  8. 4.8Historical gravity-assist missions
  9. 4.9Flyby risks
  10. 4.10Practical exercise: flyby sequence to Jupiter
  1. 5.1Circular restricted problem
  2. 5.2Lagrange points
  3. 5.3Jacobi constant
  4. 5.4Halo and Lissajous orbits
  5. 5.5Invariant manifolds
  6. 5.6Low-energy transfers
  7. 5.7Cislunar NRHO orbits
  8. 5.8Station-keeping in libration orbits
  9. 5.9Missions at L1 and L2
  10. 5.10Case study: halo orbit at Sun-Earth L2
  1. 6.1Interplanetary electric propulsion
  2. 6.2Optimal control formulation
  3. 6.3Direct and indirect methods
  4. 6.4Transcription and collocation
  5. 6.5Solar power modelling
  6. 6.6Combination with gravity assists
  7. 6.7Optimisation tools
  8. 6.8Reference missions
  9. 6.9Sensitivity analysis
  10. 6.10Lab: optimisation of a low-thrust trajectory
  1. 7.1Orbit insertion manoeuvre
  2. 7.2Aerobraking
  3. 7.3Aerocapture
  4. 7.4Entry, descent and landing
  5. 7.5Deep-space navigation
  6. 7.6Interplanetary orbit determination
  7. 7.7Trajectory correction
  8. 7.8Planetary protection
  9. 7.9Operations in the final orbit
  10. 7.10Case study: insertion into Mars orbit
  1. 8.1Objectives and destination
  2. 8.2Mission architecture
  3. 8.3Windows and trajectory
  4. 8.4Gravity-assist sequence
  5. 8.5Delta-v budget
  6. 8.6Arrival strategy
  7. 8.7Risks and planetary protection
  8. 8.8Conclusions
  9. 8.9Report and presentation
  10. 8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
Methodology, software & labs

How you'll learn

Training is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so it fits around your job.

Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is GMAT, SPICE Toolkit, pykep, STK and MATLAB, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures for porkchop plots for launch windows, design of gravity-assist sequences and analysis of orbits at Lagrange points. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.

Standards covered: ECSS-E-ST-10C, ECSS-M-ST-10C, ECSS-U-ST-20C, COSPAR Policy on Planetary Protection, CCSDS 502.0-B, NASA/SP-2016-6105, 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

Assigned technical tutor:every module ends with a deliverable that your tutor marks individually.
Standards-based learning:guided reading of ECSS-E-ST-10C, ECSS-M-ST-10C and ECSS-U-ST-20C applied to real cases, not as a theoretical annex.
Industry software:GMAT, SPICE Toolkit, pykep, STK and MATLAB, in free, academic or evaluation versions.
Final project:An interplanetary mission project covering architecture, launch windows, gravity-assist sequence, delta-v budget and arrival strategy, reviewed by your tutor.
Flexible format:100% online, no fixed timetables, compatible with full-time work.
Capstone project

Build it end to end

Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.

Objectives and architecture
Define the destination, science objectives and mission architecture.
Launch window analysis
Solve Lambert's problem and build porkchop plots to choose the launch window.
Gravity-assist sequence
Design the flyby sequence and the resulting delta-v budget.
Arrival strategy
Plan orbit insertion, navigation and planetary protection at the destination.
Final project
A complete interplanetary mission design, reviewed by your tutor.
Career opportunities

Where this takes you

Mission design analystFlight dynamics engineerSpace systems engineerAstrodynamics researcherInterplanetary navigation engineerScience mission planner
Admissions & scholarships

Requirements

  • Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
  • Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
  • English sufficient to read technical standards.

Ready to start?

Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The programme totals 800 hours over 6–8 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.

You work with GMAT, SPICE Toolkit, pykep, STK and MATLAB, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.

A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.

Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.

Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a computer able to run the software and English sufficient to read technical standards.

Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.

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