Skip to main content

Books in Launch and space vehicles

Advanced Space Propulsion
Technologies, Missions, and Computer Modeling
1st Edition
August 1, 2026
Michael Paluszek + 5 more
English
Advanced Space Propulsion: Technologies, Missions, and Computer Modeling includes coverage of all these topics in an integrated manner. The volume, written by a team of sector-specific R&D experts, touches upon fundamentals cardinal to the understanding of [i] Orbit theory and its implications for control, estimation, and optimization of trajectory and attitude, and [ii] How each mission is designed (depending primarily on the mass of the payload, but also on how far from Earth the launch vehicle needs to go), and then succeeds in consolidating them with software and computer applications for simulations and modeling. The book continues with a discussion on the complete gamut of in-space propulsion power sources and concludes with both human and robotic mission-related case studies and future implementation examples. The outcome is a carefully calibrated and self-contained resource that will prove to be invaluable for graduate and senior undergraduate students, researchers, scientists, and engineering professionals alike.
Next Generation CubeSats and SmallSats
Enabling Technologies, Missions, and Markets
1st Edition
August 24, 2023
Francesco Branz + 3 more
English
Next Generation of CubeSats and SmallSats: Enabling Technologies, Missions, and Markets provides a comprehensive understanding of the small and medium sized satellite approach and its potentialities and limitations. The book analyzes promising applications (e.g., constellations and distributed systems, small science platforms that overachieve relative to their development time and cost) as paradigm-shifting solutions for space exploitation, with an analysis of market statistics and trends and a prediction of where the technologies, and consequently, the field is heading in the next decade. The book also provides a thorough analysis of CubeSat potentialities and applications, and addresses unique technical approaches and systems strategies. Throughout key sections (introduction and background, technology details, systems, applications, and future prospects), the book provides basic design tools scaled to the small satellite problem, assesses the technological state-of-the-art, and describes the most recent advancements with a look to the near future. This new book is for aerospace engineering professionals, advanced students, and designers seeking a broad view of the CubeSat world with a brief historical background, strategies, applications, mission scenarios, new challenges and upcoming advances.
ADCS - Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control
1st Edition
April 27, 2023
Michael Paluszek
English
ADCS - Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control provides a complete introduction to spacecraft control. The book covers all elements of attitude control system design, including kinematics, dynamics, orbits, disturbances, actuators, sensors, and mission operations. Essential hardware details are provided for star cameras, reaction wheels, sun sensors, and other key components. The book explores how to design a control system for a spacecraft, control theory, and actuator and sensor details. Examples are drawn from the author’s 40 years of industrial experience with spacecraft such as GGS, GPS IIR, Mars Observer, and commercial communications satellites, and includes historical background and real-life examples.
Modern Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Control
From System Modeling to AI and Innovative Applications
1st Edition
November 13, 2022
Vincenzo Pesce + 2 more
English
Modern Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Control: From System Modeling to AI and Innovative Applications provides a comprehensive foundation of theory and applications of spacecraft GNC, from fundamentals to advanced concepts, including modern AI-based architectures with focus on hardware and software practical applications. Divided into four parts, this book begins with an introduction to spacecraft GNC, before discussing the basic tools for GNC applications. These include an overview of the main reference systems and planetary models, a description of the space environment, an introduction to orbital and attitude dynamics, and a survey on spacecraft sensors and actuators, with details of their modeling principles. Part 2 covers guidance, navigation, and control, including both on-board and ground-based methods. It also discusses classical and novel control techniques, failure detection isolation and recovery (FDIR) methodologies, GNC verification, validation, and on-board implementation. The final part 3 discusses AI and modern applications featuring different applicative scenarios, with particular attention on artificial intelligence and the possible benefits when applied to spacecraft GNC. In this part, GNC for small satellites and CubeSats is also discussed. Modern Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Control: From System Modeling to AI and Innovative Applications is a valuable resource for aerospace engineers, GNC/AOCS engineers, avionic developers, and AIV/AIT technicians.
Photovoltaics for Space
Key Issues, Missions and Alternative Technologies
1st Edition
October 26, 2022
Sheila G. Bailey + 4 more
English
PV has traditionally been used for electric power in space. Solar panels on spacecraft are usually the sole source of power to run the sensors, active heating and cooling, and communications. Photovoltaics for Space: Key Issues, Missions and Alternative Technologies provides an overview of the challenges to efficiently produce solar power in near-Earth space and beyond: the materials and device architectures that have been developed to surmount these environmental and mission-specific barriers. The book is organized in four sections consisting of detailed introductory and background content as well as a collection of in-depth space environment, materials processing, technology, and mission overviews by international experts. This book will detail how to design and optimize a space power system’s performance for power-to-weight ratio, effectiveness at end of operational life (EOL) compared to beginning of operational life (BOL), and specific mission objectives and goals. This book outlines the knowledge required for practitioners and advanced students interested in learning about the background, materials, devices, environmental challenges, missions, and future for photovoltaics for space exploration.
Electrostatic Dust Mitigation and Manipulation Techniques for Planetary Dust
1st Edition
August 18, 2022
Nima Gharib + 2 more
English
Electrostatic Dust Mitigation and Manipulation Techniques for Planetary Dust explains how to control and remove dust in space due to the presence of a vacuum, abrasiveness of dust particles and electrostatic charge on particles. The book introduces innovative technologies that use electrostatic and di-electrophoretic forces to remove and transport small particles away from surfaces. In addition, it discusses how to resolve thermal control problems and reduce lung inhalation and eye irritation problems. The book includes two abrasive wear test devices that were designed to study the rate of volume wear for diﬀerent materials when subjected to lunar dust simulant of diﬀerent size ranges. This will be an ideal resource for space system engineers, space exploration researchers, and advanced students and professionals in space engineering.
Fault-Tolerant Attitude Control of Spacecraft
1st Edition
June 9, 2021
Qinglei Hu + 3 more
English
Fault-Tolerant Attitude Control of Spacecraft presents the fundamentals of spacecraft fault-tolerant attitude control systems, along with the most recent research and advanced, nonlinear control techniques. This book gives researchers a self-contained guide to the complex tasks of envisaging, designing, implementing and experimenting by presenting designs for integrated modeling, dynamics, fault-tolerant attitude control, and fault reconstruction for spacecraft. Specifically, the book gives a full literature review and presents preliminaries and mathematical models, robust fault-tolerant attitude control, fault-tolerant attitude control with actuator saturation, velocity-free fault tolerant attitude control, finite-time fault-tolerant attitude tracking control, and active fault-tolerant attitude contour. Finally, the book looks at the future of this interesting topic, offering readers a one-stop solution for those working on fault-tolerant attitude control for spacecraft.
Dynamics and Simulation of Flexible Rockets
1st Edition
December 10, 2020
Timothy M. Barrows + 1 more
English
Dynamics and Simulation of Flexible Rockets provides a full state, multiaxis treatment of launch vehicle flight mechanics and provides the state equations in a format that can be readily coded into a simulation environment. Various forms of the mass matrix for the vehicle dynamics are presented. The book also discusses important forms of coupling, such as between the nozzle motions and the flexible body.This book is designed to help practicing aerospace engineers create simulations that can accurately verify that a space launch vehicle will successfully perform its mission. Much of the open literature on rocket dynamics is based on analysis techniques developed during the Apollo program of the 1960s. Since that time, large-scale computational analysis techniques and improved methods for generating Finite Element Models (FEMs) have been developed. The art of the problem is to combine the FEM with dynamic models of separate elements such as sloshing fuel and moveable engine nozzles. The pitfalls that may occur when making this marriage are examined in detail.
CubeSat Handbook
From Mission Design to Operations
1st Edition
September 22, 2020
Chantal Cappelletti + 2 more
English
CubeSat Handbook: From Mission Design to Operations is the first book solely devoted to the design, manufacturing, and in-orbit operations of CubeSats. Beginning with an historical overview from CubeSat co-inventors Robert Twiggs and Jordi Puig-Suari, the book is divided into 6 parts with contributions from international experts in the area of small satellites and CubeSats. It covers topics such as standard interfaces, on-board & ground software, industry standards in terms of control algorithms and sub-systems, systems engineering, standards for AITV (assembly, integration, testing and validation) activities, and launch regulations. This comprehensive resource provides all the information needed for engineers and developers in industry and academia to successfully design and launch a CubeSat mission.
Rigid Body Dynamics for Space Applications
1st Edition
April 22, 2017
Vladimir Aslanov
English
Rigid Body Dynamics for Space Applications explores the modern problems of spaceflight mechanics, such as attitude dynamics of re-entry and space debris in Earth's atmosphere; dynamics and control of coaxial satellite gyrostats; deployment, dynamics, and control of a tether-assisted return mission of a re-entry capsule; and removal of large space debris by a tether tow. Most space systems can be considered as a system of rigid bodies, with additional elastic and viscoelastic elements and fuel residuals in some cases. This guide shows the nature of the phenomena and explains the behavior of space objects. Researchers working on spacecraft attitude dynamics or space debris removal as well as those in the fields of mechanics, aerospace engineering, and aerospace science will benefit from this book.