PROSPECT: a Matlab tool for spacecraft propulsion comparison

The aim of this thesis is to create a methodology that estimates the characteristics and the mass breakdown of a propulsion system. This includes thrusters, propellant, propellant management, and power system requirements for end-to-end missions. The first part of the project will concern selecting components from various propulsion systems to build a large database; It will contain data from the previous missions of QinetiQ as well as informations about the state of art technology that is currently available in the market.\\ Different mission requirements will be established with a GUI by the final user. These mission requirements are fundamental for the selection of the propulsion and launcher system. This selection-process doesn't take the other subsystem and the relations into account. The second part of the project will concern the main MATLAB model, based on the requirements for the mission orbit injection, the station keeping and the desposal. The results of the MATLAB model will show the best possible pick concerning launcher, propulsion system and a combination of S/C propulsion system and launcher, based on the user defined mission requirements