Spacecraft Systems Engineering Handbook: A First-Principles Guide to Spacecraft Design, Integration, and Operations

By Arief RH. Obdam

Designing a spacecraft requires far more than assembling individual components. Every subsystem-power, propulsion, communications, thermal control, structures, avionics, and guidance-must operate as part of one reliable, fully integrated system.

Spacecraft Systems Engineering Handbook: A First-Principles Guide to Spacecraft Design, Integration, and Operations provides a clear and practical foundation for understanding how spacecraft are conceived, developed, tested, launched, and operated.

Beginning with first principles, this handbook explains the engineering logic behind critical design decisions and shows how mission objectives are translated into technical requirements, subsystem architectures, operational plans, and verifiable performance targets. Complex concepts are presented in a structured and accessible way, helping readers understand not only what spacecraft engineers do, but also why they do it.

Inside this handbook, you will explore: Mission analysis and spacecraft architectureSystems engineering processes and requirement developmentMass, power, thermal, and data-budget managementSpacecraft structures and mechanical configurationPropulsion and attitude-control systemsElectrical power generation, storage, and distributionCommand, data handling, avionics, and flight softwareGuidance, navigation, and control principlesCommunications, telemetry, tracking, and commandThermal-control strategies for the space environmentReliability, redundancy, risk, and fault managementSubsystem interfaces and spacecraft integrationVerification, validation, environmental testing, and launch preparationMission operations, anomaly response, and end-of-life planning
Whether you are an engineering student, aspiring aerospace professional, systems engineer, researcher, educator, technical manager, or space enthusiast, this handbook will help you develop a unified understanding of spacecraft as complete engineering systems.

Move beyond isolated equations and individual components. Learn how technical disciplines connect, how design trade-offs shape a mission, and how spacecraft are engineered to survive and perform in one of the most demanding environments imaginable.

Build your understanding from first principles and see the complete spacecraft engineering picture. Get your copy today and begin mastering the systems that make space missions possible.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0HBKKLT7F
• ISBN13: 9798188035617
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 526 Pages
• Weight: 2.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.5" x 11.0"