2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Space Operations – Value-Added Programs for Students on a Limited Time-Budget

Presented at Aerospace Division (AERO) Technical Session 5: Aviation Safety, Policy, and Workforce Development

Space Operations – Value-Added Programs for Students on a Limited Time-Budget

The rapid expansion of civil, commercial, and defense space activities has increased demand for engineers with spacecraft systems and mission operations expertise. While traditional aerospace curricula emphasize aerodynamics, structures, and orbital mechanics, structured undergraduate exposure to spacecraft integration, communications architecture, and operational mission design is often limited. Simultaneously, students and working professionals face constrained credit capacity, making extended degree programs impractical.

This paper describes the development of a 15-credit Space Operations minor designed to deliver operationally focused aerospace preparation within existing undergraduate degree pathways. The program integrates two upper-division core courses—mission and spacecraft design and aerospace communications—with strategically selected electives to provide systems-level integration and subsystem depth. Emphasis is placed on mission trade studies, link budget analysis, subsystem coupling, and applied design projects reflecting real operational constraints.

The resulting model demonstrates how focused curricular integration, rather than expansion, can strengthen spacecraft operations education while preserving time-to-degree efficiency. By leveraging existing institutional capabilities and aligning instruction with active research and regional space activities, the program offers a scalable framework for enhancing workforce readiness in the evolving aerospace sector.

Authors

Dr. Michael C. Hatfield http://orcid.org/0009-0001-9905-7044 University of Alaska Fairbanks [biography]

Dr Michael Hatfield is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Associate Director for Education at the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration, and Director for UAF's Aerospace Engineering Program. He earned a BS in electrical engineering from Ohio Northern University ('84); an MS in electrical engineering from California State University Fresno ('87), and a PhD in Electrical/Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Alaska Fairbanks ('99). As part of his joint appointment with UAF's College of Engineering & Mines and Geophysical Institute, Dr Hatfield teaches courses in electrical and aerospace engineering, conducts UAS research in support of ACUASI, and participates in STEM outreach activities. In addition, Dr Hatfield serves as faculty advisor for the university's student chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics. Prior to joining UAF in 2013, Dr Hatfield was a US Air Force officer where he served in numerous capacities over a 28-year career. Dr Hatfield's assignments included 2 tours teaching at the USAF Academy (Department of Astronautics, '92-'96, '99-'02) and building USAFA's space systems program in rocketry and satellites. He also served as Deputy Director of the AF Office of Scientific Research in Arlington, VA ('06-'09) and as Director of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Air Vehicles Directorate at WPAFB in Dayton, OH ('09-'12).
Olanrewaju Miracle OYEWOLA University of Alaska Fairbanks
Kapil Sharma University of Alaska Fairbanks

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