Diploma in Mission Design and Interplanar Transfers
Online postgraduate diploma of 800 hours in mission design and interplanetary transfers. 8 modules covering space mission design, patched conics, Lambert's problem and launch windows, gravity assists, the three-body problem, low-thrust trajectories, and arrival and orbit insertion, with an assigned technical tutor.
Diploma in Mission Design and Interplanar Transfers — studying from Australia
Australia's aerospace sector spans defence and commercial aviation, maintenance, repair and overhaul, and a growing space industry. Key clusters sit around Adelaide's Edinburgh Parks and the Melbourne and Sydney defence precincts, with major employers including Airbus Australia Pacific, BAE Systems Australia, Boeing Defence Australia and Lockheed Martin Australia. Recreational and commercial drone operations are increasingly regulated, and advanced air mobility is emerging as a research and policy priority. Engineers working in this area typically support airworthiness, systems integration, structures and avionics across both crewed and uncrewed platforms.
Fees for Australia: A$1,740 (AUD), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Australia
Typical roles
Questions from Australia
Does a SEIUM qualification help me get recognised by a professional body in Australia?
SEIUM qualifications are private qualifications, not official state degrees, and they are not accredited by any Australian body. Engineers Australia accredits university engineering degrees, and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulates drone and aviation operations. Recognition of a private qualification is decided by the employer or the relevant body, so check with them before enrolling.
Will this course help me find work in Australian aerospace, drones or space?
Australia has aerospace and defence employers, drone operators and space-sector companies, and skills in these areas are valued. Whether a SEIUM qualification counts for a given role depends on the employer, who will usually weigh your experience and portfolio alongside any private credential. Ask prospective employers how they view it.
Can I study this part-time while working, and does the time zone suit Australia?
The programmes are fully online and taught in English, so you can study from anywhere in Australia, with no student visa needed for home study. Master's programmes total 1,900 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and specialist courses 300 hours, so plan your weekly load realistically. Fees are payable in instalments, and employer sponsorship may be possible.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Apply the phased space mission design process.
Design interplanetary transfers using patched conics.
Solve Lambert's problem and generate porkchop plots.
Plan gravity-assist sequences.
Analyse trajectories in the restricted three-body problem.
Design low-thrust interplanetary trajectories.
Plan arrival, orbit insertion and planetary protection.
Who it's for
- Mission design analysts.
- Flight dynamics engineers.
- Space systems engineers.
- Astrodynamics researchers.
- Interplanetary navigation engineers.
- Science mission planners.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to join a space agency.
What you'll work with
- ECSS-E-ST-10C (system engineering general requirements)
- ECSS-M-ST-10C (project planning and implementation)
- ECSS-U-ST-20C (planetary protection)
- COSPAR Policy on Planetary Protection (international planetary protection policy)
- CCSDS 502.0-B (Orbit Data Messages)
- NASA/SP-2016-6105 (NASA Systems Engineering Handbook)
- 1967 Outer Space Treaty (international space law framework)
- GMAT
- SPICE Toolkit
- pykep
- STK
- MATLAB
8 modules
1.1Project life cycle and phases1.2Science objectives and requirements1.3Mission architecture1.4Mass and delta-v budgets1.5Launchers and C3 energy1.6Trajectory selection1.7Deep-space communications1.8Risks and margins1.9Mission reviews1.10Workshop: architecture of an asteroid mission
2.1Sphere of influence2.2Hyperbolic departure2.3Heliocentric phase2.4Hyperbolic arrival2.5Hyperbolic excess velocity2.6Interplanetary Hohmann transfers2.7Synodic period and windows2.8Planetary ephemerides2.9Limitations of the method2.10Practical exercise: Earth-Mars transfer with patched conics
3.1Formulation of Lambert's problem3.2Solution algorithms3.3Type I and II transfers3.4Porkchop plots3.5C3 launch energy3.6Declination of the departure asymptote3.7Launch windows3.8Robustness to delays3.9Date optimisation3.10Lab: Earth-Venus porkchop plot
4.1Flyby mechanics4.2Rotation of the velocity vector4.3Powered flybys4.4VEEGA and similar sequences4.5Tisserand criterion4.6Resonances4.7Planetary tour design4.8Historical gravity-assist missions4.9Flyby risks4.10Practical exercise: flyby sequence to Jupiter
5.1Circular restricted problem5.2Lagrange points5.3Jacobi constant5.4Halo and Lissajous orbits5.5Invariant manifolds5.6Low-energy transfers5.7Cislunar NRHO orbits5.8Station-keeping in libration orbits5.9Missions at L1 and L25.10Case study: halo orbit at Sun-Earth L2
6.1Interplanetary electric propulsion6.2Optimal control formulation6.3Direct and indirect methods6.4Transcription and collocation6.5Solar power modelling6.6Combination with gravity assists6.7Optimisation tools6.8Reference missions6.9Sensitivity analysis6.10Lab: optimisation of a low-thrust trajectory
7.1Orbit insertion manoeuvre7.2Aerobraking7.3Aerocapture7.4Entry, descent and landing7.5Deep-space navigation7.6Interplanetary orbit determination7.7Trajectory correction7.8Planetary protection7.9Operations in the final orbit7.10Case study: insertion into Mars orbit
8.1Objectives and destination8.2Mission architecture8.3Windows and trajectory8.4Gravity-assist sequence8.5Delta-v budget8.6Arrival strategy8.7Risks and planetary protection8.8Conclusions8.9Report and presentation8.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Training is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, so it fits around your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is GMAT, SPICE Toolkit, pykep, STK and MATLAB, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practical work is based on real procedures for porkchop plots for launch windows, design of gravity-assist sequences and analysis of orbits at Lagrange points. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.
Standards covered: ECSS-E-ST-10C, ECSS-M-ST-10C, ECSS-U-ST-20C, COSPAR Policy on Planetary Protection, CCSDS 502.0-B, NASA/SP-2016-6105, 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector. No university degree is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 800 hours over 6–8 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with GMAT, SPICE Toolkit, pykep, STK and MATLAB, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
Prior technical training or professional experience in the sector (no university degree required), a computer able to run the software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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