Systems Engineering

The Systems Engineering Department ensures that the rocket works as one complete system rather than as a collection of individual components. The team coordinates technical interfaces between departments, manages system-level requirements, and supports design decisions that affect the overall vehicle.

Requirements & Interfaces
Systems Engineering develops, maintains, and validates the requirements that guide the rocket’s development. The team also manages interfaces between subsystems to ensure that components developed by different departments fit together mechanically, electrically, and functionally.

System Design & Trade Studies
When several technical solutions are possible, Systems Engineering evaluates their impact on the complete vehicle. Members conduct design trade studies, support system architecture decisions, and work extensively with CAD to understand packaging, integration, and interactions between subsystems.

Integration & Validation
As the rocket matures, the department helps verify that individual systems meet their requirements and can operate together successfully. This makes Systems Engineering closely involved throughout the development process, from early concepts to final integration and testing.

What Does the Work Look Like?
Work in Systems Engineering combines requirements engineering, interface management, CAD, technical coordination, design reviews, and system-level problem solving. Members work closely with virtually every technical department and develop a broad understanding of how the entire rocket functions.