The course covers the essentials of launchers and spacecrafts propulsion technologies, focusing on two main areas:
Thermal (chemistry) propulsion and electrical propulsion. The subjects treated in this course comprise performance
parameters (thrust, specific impulse, etc.); Nozzle theory and thermodynamic relations; Rocket equation, staging,
ideal rocket theory; Solid propellant motor: components, propellants and propellant properties, performance, nozzle,
thrust vectoring; Liquid propellant engine: components and subsystems, (mono- and bi-component) propellants,
thrust chamber, tanks, pipes, pressure feeding systems, performance, nozzles, thrust vectoring; Cold gas thruster:
components and subsystems. Overview of electric propulsion systems: resistojet, ArcJet, magnetoplasmadynamic
thruster, pulsed plasma thruster, ion thruster, field-emission thruster, Hall-effect thruster
Outcome:
After the course, the students shall be able to:
• Apply the fundamental rocket theory, physical and mathematical tools to design and analyse propulsion systems
for launchers and spacecrafts.
• Analyse and solve basic problems in rocket thermochemistry.
• Perform preliminary design of propulsion sub-systems (thrust chambers, nozzles, tanks, etc.) for launchers and
spacecrafts considering different propulsion technologies (solid, liquid and hybrid).
• Execute preliminary designs of launchers and spacecrafts.
• Analyse and solve basic problems in electric propulsion.
• Apply the above-described techniques on real-world space vehicle projects, and report on this work both orally
and in writing.
