Keywords: Project-based education, Innovative materials and new tools for teaching, New teaching/learning theories and models
Abstract: CDIO-based training mode for outstanding engineers is conducted in aerospace education and some significant results are obtained. In the training process, four key aspects are included, i.e., high-quality aerospace courses (Conceive and Design), student-oriented project practice (Design and Implement), innovation competitions (Implement) and theoretical ability promotion (Operate). Through this training cycle of "high-quality courses + project practice + competition training + innovation summary", both the hands-on ability and the theoretical innovation ability are developed. Engineering practice in the development of LilacSat-1, LilacSat-2, Longjiang-2 and the outcome in the China Graduate Future Flight Vehicle Innovation Competition verified the effectiveness of the CDIO-based training mode.

Keywords: Project-based education, Innovative materials and new tools for teaching, New teaching/learning theories and models
Abstract: Harbin Institute of Technology explores the innovative talent training mode in the undergraduate training system of aerospace engineering specialties, by setting up "Lilac Student Micro/Nano Satellite Innovation Workshop". The "Innovation Workshop" follows the the principle of "interest drive, autonomous learning, focusing on the process, grading training", provides college students innovation team training, international exchanges and cooperation, aims to provide reference for college engineering and high-level innovative undergraduate talents. The student management team is mainly responsible for the daily operation management of "Innovation Workshop", complemented by the supervision and guarantee of teachers.

Keywords: Project-based education, Autonomous systems, Emerging methodologies in learning
Abstract: Concurrent Design is a modern and innovative approach for space mission and system design, aligning with the "low cost and fast delivery” paradigm. The paper presents how, in an educational environment, the concurrent engineering approach has been applied in designing a CubeSat mission to emulate an interplanetary mission in Low Earth Orbit, with an earth observation secondary objective. This mission focuses on automating mission operations, system autonomy, and innovative control systems. The paper details the mission and system design, and the effectiveness of the concurrent design approach and proposed future improvements are assessed.

Keywords: Project-based education, Aerospace control systems technology, Curricula requirement from industry
Abstract: Emerging “New Space” paradigms raise challenges in satellite design by appropriate use of miniaturization, Commercial-of-the-Shelf and multi-satellite systems technologies. Related education in space technology has to reflect not only related theoretical background, but should also teach practical problem solution capabilities. Here the CubeSat standard is used to practice system engineering skills at satellite level by a “FlatSat” with subsystem hardware providing access to space simulation environment, measurement and test equipment. In the “Satellite Technology” program at University Würzburg hands-on experiments accompany students in tasks of increasing complexity to apply system engineering and control skills to satellite realization problems.

Keywords: Project-based education, Avionics and on-board systems, Automatic flight control
Abstract: A common barrier to maximising the altitude of a sounding rocket is the attitude deviation from the vertical flight induced by wind, known as weather cocking. An active stabilisation with canards, which was first proposed and implemented in the previous academic year (2022-23), is significantly improved as follows: a compact flight computer, a robust canard mechanical system, the linear quadratic regulator gain tuned and a new telemetry with extended data monitoring/analysis. The verification process, which includes the flight mode detection, the wind tunnel experiment, the telemetry test and the attitude estimation test, has been performed. A successful launch in April 2024 shows the effectiveness of the integrated attitude control system and the ground data supporting system.

Keywords: Avionics and on-board systems, Project-based education, Experiences outside the classroom (e.g., practicums, mobility)
Abstract: Current planetary rovers are designed with mission-specific monolithic architectures, limiting flexibility and increasing costs. As the space economy grows, more infrastructure will be needed on the Moon and Mars, including numerous rovers for human assistance. To reduce development costs, this work proposes a modular architecture with a common hardware and firmware infrastructure.

The work was carried out by the Electronic Division of the DIANA Student Team, whose focus is on the development of Rovers for planetary exploration.

Keywords: Curricula requirement from industry, Relationship between education and job placement, The role of internships, and in-company theses as educational tools
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to focus on the efforts brought by our industrial aerospace companies in the educational programs offered at our institution in the field of automatic control systems, based on the authors’ teaching experience over many years. For a better understanding of our educational environment, the paper gives an insight into the history of the scientists and industry engineers involved in the courses, their skills, interests in training students as well as their contributions to raising the profile of the institution. In addition to the list of curriculum syllabus, their effectiveness in key aerospace projects is shown for the undergraduate engineering students. In addition, we describe the executive education programs offered at our institution which are dedicated to raise and strengthen the engineers’ skills in theoretical point of view allowing them to learn the advanced and new developments in control engineering that have gained a significant interest in aerospace applications or sometimes simply to up-skill technical workers for industrial companies. Moreover, our institution offers to motivated undergraduate students the opportunity to enroll in a Master's program specifically dedicated to aerospace. This program aims to provide students with a comprehensive and multidisciplinary training program tailored to the Aeronautics and Space sectors. It covers a wide range of disciplines and skills necessary for both fundamental and applied research, whether for doctoral studies or for the industrial sector.

Keywords: Aerospace control systems technology, Virtual educational technology (e.g., virtual labs, e-learning)
Abstract: To overcome the innovation gap of the Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) design process between research and industrial practice a benchmark of industrial relevance has been developed and is presented. This initiative is driven as well by the necessity to train future GNC engineers and the GNC space community on a set of identified complex problems. It allows to demonstrate the relevance of state-of- the-art modeling, control and analysis algorithms for future industrial adoption. The modeling philosophy for robust control synthesis, analysis including the control architecture that enables the simulation of the mission, i.e. the acquisition of a high pointing space mission, are provided.

Keywords: Aerospace control systems technology, Autonomous systems, Automatic flight control
Abstract: This paper is a training paper for aerospace engineering education, given to master students in the Bordeaux’s university (https://formations.u-bordeaux.fr/#/details-formation?type=parcours-type&id=1779). It gives the necessary backgrounds for the application of the structured Hinfinity control approach to space applications. The structured Hinfinity control is presented as a "ready- to-be used" technique. Its theory is not investigated, but some aspects are presented when judged understandable for an engineer. The orbital station-keeping problem is considered as a support example. The paper covers all the aspects of the engineer exercise, from establishing the models for designing the controller until its implementation in a GNC structure.

Keywords: Aerospace control systems technology, Innovative materials and new tools for teaching, New teaching/learning theories and models
Abstract: This paper presents a unified educational framework for introducing and analyzing different time-constrained control methodologies for nonlinear systems. The formulation covers asymptotic, finite-time, fixed-time, predefined-time, and prescribed-time control approaches. For each methodology, the control design requirements are outlined, followed by the controller formulation and stability analysis using a generic second-order strict-feedback nonlinear system model. This unified treatment allows for a cohesive learning journey to understand the theoretical foundations and relative merits of the various time-constrained control strategies. To illustrate the practical utility of these techniques, the frameworks are applied to the attitude control problem for a rigid spacecraft. Comparative simulation results highlight the convergence behavior and tracking performance achieved by each method on this aerospace vehicle application. The unified presentation provides a pedagogical approach for the systematic study of time-constrained control methodologies of relevance for aerospace systems. This formulation can serve as an educational resource in aerospace control curricula for exposing students to these advanced nonlinear control techniques.

Keywords: New teaching/learning theories and models, Professional-oriented education, Evaluation and assessment of student learning
Abstract: The aim of the present study is to formulate a model that describes the dynamics of university students on the basis of continuous time differential equations and Petri Nets. Students are modeled by continuous time functions that represent their ability to deal with theoretical concepts and put them into practice. In addition, the curriculum is seen as a set of activities that students can select according to their willingness. The application of the model to public data of aerospace engineering students will be the subject of future work.

Keywords: Teaching and learning experiences, Project-based education, Autonomous systems
Abstract: This paper proposes a new educational game designed for popularizing science activities. The game consists of a robot race in which an automatically controlled robot and a manually controlled robot compete to deliver tennis balls in a basket. This playful approach, combined with interactive explanations and exercises, enables children to discover different engineering areas related to autonomous mobile robots. The themes covered are Control, Image Processing and Robotics. In the form of an interactive workshop, this paper aims to make children develop an interest for science.

Keywords: Teaching and learning experiences, Flight simulators, digital twins, Flight dynamics
Abstract: This work presents a course about flight simulators and simulation named Principles of Flight Simulation taught to the third-year students of the bachelor’s degree course in Aerospace Engineering at Kore University of Enna. The main objective of the course is to give students the fundamentals of system dynamics simulation using the flight systems training device framework as a tool to introduce the topic. The motivation and structure of the course are detailed along with students’ backgrounds; some outcomes of the course are commented on.

Keywords: Innovative materials and new tools for teaching, Teaching and learning experiences, New teaching/learning theories and models
Abstract: This study proposes the development of content and materials for a stackable programme that aligns with the existing Cranfield University Advanced Air Mobility Systems (AAMS) MSc Course and integrates with ongoing Future Flight Challenge (FFC) projects, emerging research and development (R&D) capacities, and the growing demand for skilled professionals in the sector. The programme is structured into four phases: enhancement of taught modules through technology-enhanced teaching (TET), enrichment of project-based learning, bolstering of student experience and career development, and a stackable approach adaptable to various educational levels. This approach was evaluated using courses from the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.

Keywords: Automatic flight control, Flight dynamics, Aerospace control systems technology
Abstract: This paper presents a novel Model Predictive Control (MPC), developed by PhD students, that integrates online parameter learning to manage dynamic systems. In this adaptive MPC, system parameters are continuously updated using a custom gradient-based function. This function makes real-time adjustments to critical parameters based on current state errors and system feedback, enabling a dynamic adaptation to changes. Simulation are conducted on a simulator developed over the years by students of different grade Results show the effectiveness of this approach, in terms of control accuracy, robustness, and adaptability in evolving conditions, making it a promising solution for real-time control applications in complex and uncertain environments.

Keywords: Flight dynamics, Teaching and learning experiences, Flight simulators, digital twins
Abstract: A flight simulator is a powerful tool to deepen the learning experience in any aeronautical degree program. It allows students to gain practical insights into the physics of flight, the impact of control engineering as well as valuable experience in flight test engineering. Explicit experiences of simulator use in undergraduate education are provided, based on the Alsim AL250 combined with the Engineering Pack software. Moreover, concepts for simulator use in postgraduate lectures and research projects are presented.

Keywords: Aerospace control systems technology, Teaching and learning experiences, Project-based education
Abstract: University of Tokyo has been developing 15 micro/nano-satellites including the world first CubeSat launched in 2003, utilizing these satellite projects for education on space technologies, project management and systems engineering. Developing and operating real satellites actually launched into space provides excellent educational opportunities to students. This paper describes how these real projects have contributed to education in various aspects, especially focusing on the importance of “experiencing failures,” “problem solving” and “conducting large number of iterations.”