AERONOTICS & AEROSPACE VECHICLES

 

Aerospace Engineering

Key Trends & Research Areas

• Advanced Materials & Thermal Protection: Ultra-high temperature materials, composites, materials that can withstand extreme heat, lightweight strong materials. As in ultra-high temperature ceramic matrix composites for reentry, propulsion, shaders. 

• Smaller / More Modular Satellites (CubeSats etc.): These reduce cost, increase mission frequency, allow more experimentation. 

• Autonomous / Unmanned Aerial Systems: Drones, UAVs for cargo, surveillance, mapping. Autonomy, flight dynamics, control, navigation. 

• AI / ML in Aerospace: Predictive maintenance for aircraft, health monitoring, optimizing flight paths, optimizing fuel efficiency. 

• Sustainability in Aerospace: Reducing weight, improving fuel efficiency, alternative propulsion (electric or hybrid aircraft, biofuels), reducing emissions. 

• Simulation, Digital Twins & Virtual Testing: Virtual wind tunnels, structural simulations under extreme conditions, flight simulation. Reduces physical prototyping cost. 

Skills to Build

• Aerodynamics, flight mechanics, fluid mechanics especially compressible flows

• Materials science (composites, H‑T ceramics)

• Control theory for flight control systems

• Propulsion fundamentals (jet, rocket engines), thermodynamics

• Simulation tools (CFD, structural FEA), optimization

Project Ideas

• Design/ simulate a small UAV / drone frame + propulsion + control system

• Study CubeSat mission proposal (orbit, payload, power, thermal)

• Simulate aerodynamic performance of an airfoil under different conditions

• Research or model thermal protection system materials for high temperatures