Designing modern space systems means dealing with unprecedented complexity, tight budgets and demanding stakeholders. This one-week course, organised by the EPFL Space Center, provides a rigorous yet practical foundation in systems engineering, grounded in leading standards and illustrated with real missions.
Is your organisation interested in securing seats for the first edition?
Pre-enrollments close on Friday 12 June.
Target audience
- Engineers and technical specialists on space missions, instruments or ground systems
- Early to mid career professionals moving into systems or project roles
- Managers needing a structured view of the systems engineering process
- Professionals from aviation, defence or complex mechatronic domains working with space programmes
Learning objectives
- Identify key systems engineering standards and practices
- Describe the main steps of the systems engineering process
- Recognise the role of humans in aerospace systems
- Explain limitations of current systems engineering practice
- Apply systems engineering methods and tools to practical examples
Date and Price
- When: Monday 23 November to Friday 27 November 2026
- Where: Onsite, EPFL Campus, Ecublens
- Schedule: the course will start after lunch on Monday and finish before lunch on Friday.
- Catering: Lunch and coffee breaks included. Participants will be invited to join an apéritif on the Thursday evening.
- Price: CHF 3’000.- (10% discount applies for all EPFL Space Center partners and all contributing EPFL Alumni)
Course Curriculum
Participants will work through the full lifecycle: from stakeholder analysis and requirements, through architecture, trades, concurrent engineering and optimisation, to integration, testing, commissioning, operations and lifecycle management. Concepts such as agile systems engineering, configuration and change management, and the human role as designer, operator and beneficiary are woven throughout.
Day 1: Foundations & Stakeholders
- Systems Engineering Overview
- Stakeholder Analysis
- Group Work
Day 2: From Requirements to Architecture
- Requirements Definition
- Agile and Product Development Processes
- System Architecture and Concept Generation
- Group Work
Day 3: Optimisation, Integration & Mission Practice
- Tradespace Exploration and Concept Selection
- Concurrent Engineering and Multidisciplinary Optimization
- Systems Integration and Interface Management
- Verification and Validation
- Case Discussion: Mission to Mars
- Group Work
Day 4: Verification, Change & Lifecycle Operations
- Engineering Change Management
- Commissioning and Operations
- Lifecycle Management
- Group Work
Day 5: Synthesis, Assessment & Next Steps
- Assessments
- Guest Lecture
- Wrap up & Certificates
Assessment & Certification
Participants who successfully complete the assessment receive an EPFL certificate and 1 ECTS credit.
Ready to confirm your organisation’s interest in the first edition? Pre-enrollments close on Friday 12 June.