“Systems Engineering Theory” That Astronauts Must Know

On September 27, 1978, Professor Qian Xuesen, the founder of China’s aerospace industry, published “Technology of Organizational Management: Systems Engineering”, proposing the concept of “systems engineering” and bringing valuable methodologies to the development of China’s aerospace industry. Systems engineering theory refers to a general term for comprehensive organization, management, technology and methods that start from the system concept and use optimization methods to obtain the optimal overall system. Professor Qian Xuesen pointed out: “Systems engineering” is a scientific method for planning, research, design, manufacturing, testing and use of organizational management systems. It is a scientific method that has universal significance for all systems. Aerospace system engineering mainly consists of launch site systems, launch vehicle systems, satellite systems, measurement and control systems, and ground application systems. These five systems collaborate and cooperate with each other to complete specific aerospace missions. Launch site system: my country’s existing land-based space launch sites mainly include Jiuquan Space Launch Site, Taiyuan Space Launch Site, Xichang Space Launch Site, Wenchang Space Launch Site, and Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site is the only commercial space launch site in my country. Launch vehicle system: For launch vehicles, it can be mainly divided into structural systems, power systems, and electrical systems. Satellite system: For satellites, it is mainly divided into payload and satellite platform. The satellite platform is divided into service support system and structural platform. The service support system is divided into power subsystem, attitude and orbit control subsystem, thermal control subsystem, remote control and telemetry subsystem, and data management subsystem. Measurement and control system: For the measurement and control system, my country has a complete “land, sea and sky” based measurement and control network. On land, my country’s land-based measurement and control network is located in Jiuquan, Taiyuan, Xichang, Xi’an, Nanning, Xiamen, Beijing, Qingdao, Changchun, Kashgar, etc.; on the ocean, my country has the Yuanwang survey ship; in space, my country has a space-based measurement and control network composed of multiple Skylink relay satellites. Ground application system: Ground applications mainly include communication applications, navigation applications, remote sensing applications, and scientific experiment applications. Aerospace system engineering is Professor Qian Xuesen’s summary of China’s successful aerospace experience entrusted by Premier Zhou Enlai. Professor Qian Xuesen said: “The practice of the overall design department embodies a scientific method, and this scientific method is ‘systems engineering’.” As a thinking model and system of thought, systems engineering is a concept and perspective for thinking and analyzing problems, and a way to understand the world. Systems engineering tells people “how to see the world.” After so many years of development, aerospace system engineering has formed a rich content covering the entire process, all factors, and all aspects of scientific research and production of aerospace models, and will continue to guide China’s aerospace industry to achieve more historic achievements in the future.