New Space Engineering Design: Characterization of Key Drivers

The recent evolution of the space industry, commonly referred to as New Space, has changed the way space missions are conceived, developed, and executed. In contrast to traditional approaches, the current paradigm emphasizes accessibility, commercial competitiveness, and rapid and sustainable innova...

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Main Authors: Daniele Ferrara, Paolo Cicconi, Angelo Minotti, Michele Trovato, Antonio Casimiro Caputo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8138
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author Daniele Ferrara
Paolo Cicconi
Angelo Minotti
Michele Trovato
Antonio Casimiro Caputo
author_facet Daniele Ferrara
Paolo Cicconi
Angelo Minotti
Michele Trovato
Antonio Casimiro Caputo
author_sort Daniele Ferrara
collection DOAJ
description The recent evolution of the space industry, commonly referred to as New Space, has changed the way space missions are conceived, developed, and executed. In contrast to traditional approaches, the current paradigm emphasizes accessibility, commercial competitiveness, and rapid and sustainable innovation. This study proposes a research methodology for selecting relevant literature to identify the key design drivers and associated enablers that characterize the New Space context from an engineering design perspective. These elements are then organized into three categories: the evolution of traditional drivers, emerging manufacturing and integration practices, and sustainability and technology independence. This categorization highlights their role and relevance, providing a baseline for the development of systems for New Space missions. The results are further contextualized within three major application domains, namely Low Earth Orbit (LEO) small satellite constellations, operations and servicing in space, and space exploration, to illustrate their practical role in engineering space systems. By linking high-level industry trends to concrete design choices, this work aims to support the early design phases of New Space innovative systems and promote a more integrated approach between strategic objectives and technical development.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2076-3417
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publishDate 2025-07-01
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series Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-183bb1e52d8a4a82a764b7c58824925b2025-08-20T03:36:02ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-07-011515813810.3390/app15158138New Space Engineering Design: Characterization of Key DriversDaniele Ferrara0Paolo Cicconi1Angelo Minotti2Michele Trovato3Antonio Casimiro Caputo4Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Elettronica e Meccanica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via Vito Volterra 62, 00146 Rome, ItalyDipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Elettronica e Meccanica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via Vito Volterra 62, 00146 Rome, ItalyMIPRONS S.r.l., Via Riccardo Morandi snc, Colleferro, 00034 Rome, ItalyDipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Elettronica e Meccanica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via Vito Volterra 62, 00146 Rome, ItalyDipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Elettronica e Meccanica, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Via Vito Volterra 62, 00146 Rome, ItalyThe recent evolution of the space industry, commonly referred to as New Space, has changed the way space missions are conceived, developed, and executed. In contrast to traditional approaches, the current paradigm emphasizes accessibility, commercial competitiveness, and rapid and sustainable innovation. This study proposes a research methodology for selecting relevant literature to identify the key design drivers and associated enablers that characterize the New Space context from an engineering design perspective. These elements are then organized into three categories: the evolution of traditional drivers, emerging manufacturing and integration practices, and sustainability and technology independence. This categorization highlights their role and relevance, providing a baseline for the development of systems for New Space missions. The results are further contextualized within three major application domains, namely Low Earth Orbit (LEO) small satellite constellations, operations and servicing in space, and space exploration, to illustrate their practical role in engineering space systems. By linking high-level industry trends to concrete design choices, this work aims to support the early design phases of New Space innovative systems and promote a more integrated approach between strategic objectives and technical development.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8138space systemsnew space economyengineering designdesign driversdesign enablers
spellingShingle Daniele Ferrara
Paolo Cicconi
Angelo Minotti
Michele Trovato
Antonio Casimiro Caputo
New Space Engineering Design: Characterization of Key Drivers
Applied Sciences
space systems
new space economy
engineering design
design drivers
design enablers
title New Space Engineering Design: Characterization of Key Drivers
title_full New Space Engineering Design: Characterization of Key Drivers
title_fullStr New Space Engineering Design: Characterization of Key Drivers
title_full_unstemmed New Space Engineering Design: Characterization of Key Drivers
title_short New Space Engineering Design: Characterization of Key Drivers
title_sort new space engineering design characterization of key drivers
topic space systems
new space economy
engineering design
design drivers
design enablers
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8138
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AT paolocicconi newspaceengineeringdesigncharacterizationofkeydrivers
AT angelominotti newspaceengineeringdesigncharacterizationofkeydrivers
AT micheletrovato newspaceengineeringdesigncharacterizationofkeydrivers
AT antoniocasimirocaputo newspaceengineeringdesigncharacterizationofkeydrivers