First "Concurrent Design of Space Systems" Course
Between the 24th and 26th April 2006 the Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) organised and hosted a new course on Concurrent Design of Space Systems, under the initiative and sponsorship of the ESA Internal University.
During the three day pilot course the twelve ESA staff participants were given the opportunity to experience the process of analysis and design of space systems using concurrent design methods and tools.
The course combined technical lectures and hands-on design using the tools, databases and methods typically used in the ESA CDF and was provided by some sixteen ESA technical experts.
The ESA Internal University were keen to promote these aspects:
• Systems engineering skills, which are a core competence for ESA that must be sustained and enhanced.
• Concurrent design methods, which are innovative and effective and must become more prevalent in the Agency.
The objectives of the course were as follows:
• To know the role of the system engineer in an interactive and guided conceptual design exercise for a topical mission.
• To experience the conceptual design of space systems for a hands-on design case under the guidance of D/TEC and D/OPS experts.
• To spread the corporate knowledge and design techniques available in the CDF infrastructure databases and modelling environment.
• To understand the benefits of space system analysis and design using the concurrent engineering process.
• To be familiar with the ESA Concurrent Design Facility infrastructure and processes.
The participants of this pilot course will contribute with their feedback to refine the course so that it may become a standard ESA programme conducted at least twice a year, and possibly be opened to institutional partners and industry in the future.