Academics
Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
Concentration in Space Engineering for students graduating in calendar year 2020
Space Engineering is a core topic area in both Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. Analysis and understanding of the space environment, space payloads, and/or space mission design and operations is critical to the design, analysis, and functioning of those space vehicles and payloads. The Concentration in Space Engineering will allow students with a particular interest in those topics to focus their technical electives in that area and receive recognition on their transcripts.
This concentration will be available to all Aerospace and Ocean Engineering majors. Students majoring in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering may pursue more than one departmental concentration.
Requirement: Choose a minimum of 9 credit hours from the following 3 credit hour courses (minimum of 6 credit hours must be AOE courses)
Undergraduate Courses
Behavior of radiated electromagnetic waves in terrestrial, atmosphere, space, and urban environments; path, frequency and antenna selection for practical communication systems; propagation prediction.
Prerequisite(s): ECE 3106
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd).
Solar-terrestrial interactions and space weather: the sun, solar wind, and interplanetary magnetic field; space plasma physics and magnetohydrodynamics; Earths magnetosphere and ionosphere; geomagnetic storms and auroral substorms; societal impacts of space weather; planetary magnetospheres; space science instrumentation.
Prerequisite(s): ECE 3105 or AOE 3014
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
Course Crosslist: AOE 4654
Fundamental theory and applications of radio navigation with the Global Positioning System GPS. Satellite orbit theory, GPS signal structure and theory, point positioning with pseudoranges and carrier phases, selective availability, dilution of precision, differential GPS, atmospheric effects on GPS signals.
Prerequisite(s): ECE 3105 or AOE 4134
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Lab, 4 Crd)
Course Crosslist: AOE 4464
Physical principles involved in remote sensing of Earths environment and their implementation in engineering systems: fundamentals of electromagnetic wave propagation, scattering by matter, effects of propagation media, passive and active systems, remote sensing platforms, data processing, systems integration, and introductory concepts important for the design and analysis of remote sensing engineering systems.
Prerequisite(s): ECE 3106
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
Wireless application circuit design for gain and filter control at radio frequencies to interface the baseband processing systems and the antennas of communication systems. 4605: Design of radio transmitter and receiver circuits using scattering-parameter methods. Circuits include oscillators, radio frequency amplifiers and matching networks, mixers and detectors. 4606: Design of amplitude, frequency, and pulse-modulated communication systems, including modulators, detectors, and the effects of noise. Design basics and guidelines for phase-locked loops and several power amplifier configurations.
Prerequisite(s): ECE 3105 and ECE 3204 and ECE 3614
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
Theory and practice of satellite communications. Orbits and launchers, spacecraft, link budgets, modulation, coding, multiple access techniques, propagation effects, and earth terminals.
Prerequisite(s): ECE 3614
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
Astromechanics
Space missions and the way pointing requirements affect attitude control systems. Rotational kinematics and attitude determination algorithms. Modeling and analysis of the attitude dynamics of space vehicles. Rigid body dynamics, effects of energy dissipation. Gravity gradient, spin, and dual spin stabilization. Rotational maneuvers. Environmental torques. Impacts of attitude stabilization techniques on mission performance.
Prerequisite(s): AOE 3034 and (AOE 4134 or AOE 3154)
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
Spacecraft propulsion systems and their applications in orbital, interplanetary, and interstellar flight. Rocket propulsion fundamentals; advanced mission analysis; physics and engineering of chemical rockets, electrical thrusters, and propellantless systems (tethers and sails); spacecraft integration issues.
Prerequisite(s): AOE 3164 or AOE 4234 or ME 4234
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
Course Crosslist: ME 4174
Graduate Courses
Fundamentals of pane wave propagation, reflection, and transmission; basic theorems, equivalent currents, and Greens theory; radiation fields generated by current sources.
5106: Electromagnetic fields in the presence of inhomogeneous media; separation of variables; analyses of waveguide, cavity, radiation, and scattering problems; numerical methods.
Pre: 5105: Graduate standing; 5106: 5105.
Underlying physical processes in the space environment medium in terms of plasma physics and electrodynamics. Single particle motion, fluid and kinetic theory of plasmas, plasma waves and instabilities, diffusion and resistivity, and a brief introduction to nonlinear effects. Prerequisite: Graduate Standing required
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
Instruction Type(s): Lecture
Describes the space environment from the sun to the earths upper atmosphere. Fundamental concepts in space plasma physics will be presented, as needed, throughout the course. Numerous examples of observations and data will be utilized to illustrate the environment and its dynamic variability. An emphasis will be placed on the practical impacts of this environment and its dynamic variability. An emphasis will be placed on the practical impacts of this environment (space weather) on modern technologies such as solid state devices, satellite technology, communication and global navigation systems. Pre: Graduate standing.
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
Course Crosslist: AOE 5654
Space Science II: Ionosphere and Aeronomy
This graduate-level course is the first in a two-part sequence in radar analysis and design. It covers the theory and practice of radar systems used for detection, tracking and location of targets. Topics include measurement of range and velocity, pulse compression, design of radar transmitter, receivers and antennas. Pre: Graduate standing.
Prerequisite(s): ECE 5605
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
6115: Antenna systems and arrays: antennas in systems, antenna synthesis array fundamentals, array excitation and mutual impedance, waveguide slot arrays, microstrip antennas, microstrip elements, microstrip planar and conformal arrays, numerical methods for antenna analysis, Method of Moments and FDTD, antenna measurements, phased arrays. 6116: Reflectors and aperture antennas: aperture theory, analytical and computer-based designs, reflector antenna fundamentals, numerical methods for reflector analysis, general formulation of GO, PO, GTD, PTD and UTD methods, Gaussian beams, reflector optic configurations, prime-symmetric, Gregorian, Cassegrain and prime-offset reflector systems, analysis of strut scattering, aperture blockage, spillover, G/T analysis, measuring and commissioning reflector systems, reflector feed array, focal plane arrays, defocused arrays.
Prerequisite(s): ECE 5105
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
Lagranges equations of motion, two-body problem, conic sections, Keplers laws, orbit determination. Multi-body problems and integrals of motion. Fundamentals of perturbation theory, variation of parameters, and Lagranges planetary equations. Regularization and alternative formulations of equations of motion.
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
Rigid body kinematics and spacecraft attitude descriptions. Attitude dynamics, motion about the center of mass, gravity gradient, and stability. Methods of attitude control both active (momentum exchange devices, thrusting) and passive (spin stabilization). Small and large angle feedback control laws. Attitude maneuvers of hybrid bodies containing both rigid and flexible components.
Prerequisite(s): AOE 5204, or permission of instructor.
Instructional Contact Hours: (3 Lec, 3 Crd)
Research & Learning Opportunities
Student Projects
Join hands-on teams like RockSat-X, Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning, and the Satellite Ground Network.
Explore projects →Labs & Facilities
Prototype, test, and analyze in the Space Systems Lab, Space Weather Lab, and more.
See our labs →Faculty Mentorship
Work alongside interdisciplinary faculty on mission-ready research and student-led experiments.
Meet our faculty →Academic Advising
Get guidance on course selection, research matching, and pathways across AOE, ECE, and Physics.
Contact an AdvisorScholarships & Assistantships
Explore fellowships, GTA/GRA roles, and undergraduate research funding opportunities.
Learn MoreCareer Pathways after Graduation
Alumni pursue roles in spacecraft systems, GNSS, remote sensing, signal processing, and space weather.
- Spacecraft & Mission Operations
- Remote Sensing & Earth Observation
- GNSS/Positioning & Communications
- Space Weather & Upper-Atmosphere Modeling
How to Apply
Those interested in doing graduate or postdoctoral studies should contact individual Space@VT faculty members to discuss research opportunities. Prospective graduate students must apply to the appropriate academic department (for example, the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering or the Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering ) through the Virginia Tech Graduate School .