CosmicAxis

In construction — first articles coming soon

Engineering a crewed spacecraft, step by step

An open guide to the knowledge, hands-on practice and real-world lessons behind a spacecraft that carries people — from orbital mechanics to life support, in 10 phases.

Diagram: a spacecraft moving from a low orbit to a higher orbit around Earth along a transfer ellipse.

Every article follows the same four parts

  1. Knowledge

    The physics and engineering, explained from first principles.

  2. Practice

    What you can actually build and test yourself, safely.

  3. Reality

    Lessons from real missions and real failures.

  4. Milestone

    A checkpoint to confirm you are ready for the next step.

The 10 phases

From foundations to deep-space travel. Each phase builds on the previous one.

  1. Foundations

    Math, mechanics, thermodynamics, programming, CAD.

    Coming soon

  2. Mission design & orbits

    Rocket equation, delta-v budgets, Hohmann transfers, launch windows.

    Coming soon

  3. Rockets & propulsion

    Liquid, solid and hybrid engines, combustion chambers, nozzles.

    Coming soon

  4. Structures, materials, heat & re-entry

    Launch loads, vibration, composites, heat shields.

    Coming soon

  5. Avionics, GNC & flight software

    Sensors, Kalman filters, control, real-time systems, redundancy.

    Coming soon

  6. Uncrewed spacecraft (CubeSat)

    Power, communications, thermal control, attitude control, radiation.

    Coming soon

  7. Humans on board

    Life support, pressure, radiation, space medicine, escape systems.

    Coming soon

  8. Testing & human-rating

    FMEA, fault trees, reliability, crew-safety standards.

    Coming soon

  9. Manufacturing, cost & regulation

    Supply chain, quality assurance, launch licensing, export control.

    Coming soon

  10. Operations & deep space

    Mission control, long-duration flight, the Moon and Mars.

    Coming soon

Honest about scale

No individual builds a crewed spacecraft alone — it takes thousands of engineers and national licensing. So the knowledge here goes all the way to crewed flight, while the practice follows a ladder you can really climb: model rockets, flight computers, CubeSats, subsystems, then a career in the industry.

Safety first: we never publish propellant recipes or home-made motor instructions. Hands-on work uses certified commercial motors and recognised organisations.

Our commitment

Content is free forever. No user-tracking ads. Every sponsorship is clearly labeled and disclosed.