This third edition of Space mission analysis and design carries on the tradition of the first two editions of providing a practical handbook for space mission engineering' - the process of defining mission parameters and refining requirements to meet the often fuzzy objectives of a space mission at minimum cost and risk. SMAD III both updates the technology and provides a greater emphasis on the design of smaller spacecraft and the process of reducing cost. It hasbeen expanded to include more detail of multi-satellite manufacturing and the design and selection of constellation parameters. The...

The goal of this book is to allow you to begin with a "blank sheet of paper" and design a space mission to meet a set of broad, often poorly defined, objectives. You should be able to define the mission in sufficient detail to identify principal drivers and make a preliminary assessment of overall performance, size, cost, and risk. The emphasis of the book is on low-Earth orbit, unmanned spacecraft. However, we hope that the principles are broad enough to be applicable to other missions as well. We intend the book to be a practical guide, rather than a theoretical treatise. As much as...