MSc Spacecraft Engineering

This is for you if ...  you want to gain the specialist knowledge, skills and experience to work in interdisciplinary teams designing the complex systems for spacecraft and satellites.

This degree is designed to equip graduate engineers with the necessary specialist knowledge, skills and experience to effectively work in and, ultimately, lead interdisciplinary teams on the design of complex, high value engineering systems, used in extreme environments.

In Semester 1, you will be introduced to the architecture of spacecraft, while developing your understanding of core propulsion systems and the space environment. You will also develop specialist design skills using space industry standard software, while undertaking professional development activities including leadership and ethics case studies.

Semester 2 covers further elements of spacecraft design and manufacture, including advanced materials, control systems and on-board communication hardware. You will also study how spacecraft systems are integrated and packaged.

You will undertake a group project, selected by the academic team. This will typically relate to a real world project at Space Park Leicester, such as the development of a small satellite, spacecraft or planetary exploration mission of which the University of Leicester is a partner.

For more than six decades the University of Leicester has been at the forefront of space research, including playing a major role in confirming the existence of black holes in our galaxy. Leicester space pioneers have built over 90 instruments launched into space, including instrumentation on six current missions.

Assessment method

The MSc in Spacecraft Engineering is taught through a mix of lectures, computational and practical workshops, lab work, seminars, project based learning, independent learning and team working activities. Assessment is a mix of exams, continuous assessment and course work.

Project work will be completed at Space Park Leicester (SPL), the University’s pioneering £100 million hub which provides a direct link between academic and industrial research and development, alongside innovation and teaching in space science and related fields. There are currently 18 companies co-located at SPL, plus an ESA business incubation centre, space applications catapult, and Wolfson deep space exploration centre. The companies range from small start-ups to multinationals covering the whole lifecycle of space missions from concept to launch and also including downstream applications and data. There are companies from North America and Europe, including Airbus, ESA, Rolls Royce, CGI, Maxar, and Omnidea.