- From 28 April through 2 June 2026 (6 Weeks, 6 Classes, 12 Classroom Hours, approximately 24 Total Hours)
- Every Tuesday from 12–2 p.m. Eastern Time (all sessions will be recorded and available for replay; course notes will be available for download)
- This new essential course, in partnership with Johns Hopkins University, introduces students to the main elements of a Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) mission.
- All students will receive an AIAA Certificate of Completion and an additional Certificate of Completion from Johns Hopkins University.at the end of the course.
OVERVIEW
This course will introduce students to the main elements of a Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) mission. RPO is critical to many DoD missions, as well as civilian missions involving crew transfer, in-space assembly, and space debris removal. Topics covered include RPO Concept of Operations (ConOps), relative orbit design, maneuver calculation, and elements of navigation.
The objectives of this course are to develop the general principles governing spacecraft proximity operations, rendezvous, and docking. Students will be introduced to topics such as near and far range rendezvous, natural motion circumnavigation, safe relative motion, phasing, and rendezvous trajectory design. After completing this six-week course, students will be able to conceptualize the operations of rendezvous and prox-ops missions such as the International Space Station (ISS) resupply, crew transfer, extra-vehicular activities, and on-orbit assembly/refueling. A basic knowledge of Newtonian Mechanics and Ordinary Differential Equations is expected.
Between classes, students will have optional self-paced readings, exercises, knowledge checks, etc. available in the Johns Hopkins learning platform to enhance the course experience.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Describe the various phases of a typical Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) Mission
- Discuss operational issues and constraints driving the design of an RPO strategy
- Explain the common methods available for the design of collision-safe RPO trajectories
- Analyze basic maneuvers for an RPO spacecraft
- Identify common relative navigation strategies
Government, industry, academic, or commercial stakeholders of space systems without detailed background of space mission design and navigation.
COURSE FEES (Sign-In To Register)
- AIAA Member Price: $1595 USD
- Non-Member Price: $1795 USD
Additional AIAA/Johns Hopkins Courses: In Spring 2026, AIAA and Johns Hopkins University are jointly offering several courses focused on Space Systems Engineering. Those students wishing to deepen their knowledge may be interested the opportunity to participate in more than one of these courses:
- Fault Management and Autonomy for Space Systems – Online Short Course (Starts 7 April 2026)
- Introduction to Satellite Communications – Online Short Course (Starts 8 April 2026)
- Space Weather and Space Systems – Online Short Course (Starts 9 April 2026)
- Spacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Operations – Online Short Course (Starts 28 April 2026)
OUTLINE
- Module 1: Introduction
- Introduction to RPO
- RPO Definitions and Nomenclature
- Basic Orbital Mechanics
- Module 2: RPO Mission Phases
- Launch to Docking Timeline
- The Hohmann Transfer and Inclination Change
- Typical Mission Constraints
- Module 3: Relative Motion Modeling and Relative Orbits
- The Clohessy-Wiltshire Equations
- Natural Relative Trajectories
- Module 4: RPO Trajectory Design
- Impulsive Maneuvers
- Two-Impulse Rendezvous Trajectories
- Multi-impulse Trajectories
- Module 5: Overview of Relative Navigation
- Overview of Least Squares Orbit Estimation
- Least Squares OD applied to Relative Orbits
- Module 6: Case Study of the Northrop Grumman Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV)
- MEV ConOps
- MEV Ascent to GEO
- MEV Near and Far Range Rendezvous
INSTRUCTOR
Dr. Pradipto Ghosh is a member of the Senior Professional Staff at the JHU APL Space Exploration Sector. His interests include Astrodynamics, Navigation, Space Logistics, Stochastic Optimal Control, and Differential Games. Dr. Ghosh serves on the AIAA Astrodynamics Technical Committee, and on the editorial boards of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets (AIAA) and the Journal of the Astronautical Sciences (AAS). He earned his doctorate in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
CLASSROOM HOURS / CEUs:12 classroom hours / 2.4 CEU/PDH
COURSE DELIVERY AND MATERIALS
- The course lectures will be delivered via Zoom. Access to the Johns Hopkins learning platform will be provided to registrants near to the course start date.
- All recorded classes will be available on-demand within 1-2 business days of the lecture. Once available, you can stream the replay video anytime, 24/7.
- All slides will be available for download after each lecture. No part of these materials may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted, unless for course participants. All rights reserved.
- Between lectures during the course, the instructor will be available via email for technical questions and comments.
CANCELLATION POLICY: A refund less a $50.00 cancellation fee will be assessed for all cancellations made in writing prior to 5 days before the start of the event. After that time, no refunds will be provided.
CONTACT: Please contact Lisa Le or Customer Service if you have any questions about the course or group discounts.