Reusable Spacecraft System Designers and Engineers

Reusable spacecraft contain components that can be recovered and used in future missions. Examples of reusable spacecraft include rockets, spaceplanes, and suborbital vehicles. Designers and engineers play a key role in the design, development, testing, repair, and improvement of reusable spacecraft and their systems.

Designers use computer-aided design and computer-aided industrial design software and their knowledge of physical materials (e.g., metals and metal alloys, plastics, ceramics, synthetic fibers such as Kevlar), and traditional and advanced manufacturing techniques to design and improve reusable spacecraft and their systems. They have a deep understanding of modular design principles; heat shield technology; environmental control and life support systems (for crewed spacecraft); propulsion systems; and a wide variety of other systems and components that are included in spacecraft.

Engineers use their knowledge of engineering, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and other fields to design, build, test, troubleshoot, repair, and improve reusable spacecraft and their systems. They are experts in aerodynamics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, flight mechanics, propulsion systems, modular design, materials science, computer hardware, and software development. Engineers often work in a specialties such as chemical, industrial, electronics, electrical, industrial, mechanical, mechatronics, materials, hardware, software, or safety engineering.