Apply systems engineering to spacecraft fault management, from mission-driving requirements and redundancy to autonomy and recovery. Examine fault analysis, trade studies, verification, and real mission examples to understand how fault management safeguards space systems throughout their life cycle.
Online · Live sessions
- Live lectures via Zoom
- Recordings and downloadable slides
- Optional self-paced learning activities
In this essential course, offered in partnership with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), students will learn to apply systems engineering expertise to architect and analyze fault management strategies that safeguard space missions.
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental principles of fault management engineering as applied to space systems. It examines the distinct perspective of the fault management engineer relative to systems engineers and discipline specialists, and it elucidates the integral role of fault management throughout the mission design life cycle.
Fault management is a systems engineering discipline that defines the functional requirements distributed across spacecraft hardware, software, autonomy systems, and ground operations to enable the detection, isolation, and recovery from anomalies that disrupt nominal operations. Students will gain an understanding of the fundamental principles of fault management architecture—including driving requirements, redundancy concepts, safing and operational modes, ground intervention strategies, and critical sequence management—and how these elements inform the overall fault management design.
The course will also address analytical methodologies used in fault analysis, trade studies, and requirements allocation, while emphasizing the responsibilities of the fault management engineer from project inception through design, integration and testing, launch, and flight operations. Case studies and examples from actual space missions will be used to illustrate diverse fault management implementations and the engineering decisions influenced by technical, cost, and schedule constraints.
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.
Course fees
All prices in USD, per learner
Individual enrollment
AIAA members: email EngineeringExecEd@jhu.edu for help obtaining your member discount code before registering.
Group enrollment
For enrollment questions or Bright Horizons voucher payments, email EPE at EngineeringExecEd@jhu.edu. Include your voucher if using it for payment.
Live session schedule
March 23, 2027–April 27, 2027 · Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m. Eastern Time
6 live sessions; 12 classroom hours; approximately 24 total hours. All sessions will be recorded and available for replay; course notes will be available for download.
Skills and learning outcomes
- Describe and compare key strategies and approaches for developing comprehensive fault management concepts for space systems.
- Identify and interpret mission-driving requirements, critical operational sequences, and design concepts related to redundancy, safing and operational modes, and ground intervention.
- Evaluate and analyze system reliability, redundancy configurations, and potential failure modes to conduct informed trade studies that guide fault management design decisions.
- Apply autonomy engineering principles to develop and implement autonomy constructs that support and enhance fault management architectures.
- Explain how fault management verification and validation (FM V&V) uses representative failure scenarios and testing to demonstrate correct spacecraft fault responses, support mission readiness decisions, and enable effective anomaly management during operations.
What this course covers
Module 1
Introduction to Fault Management
- Overview of fault management (FM) concepts, terminology, and mission relevance
- Historical context and evolution of FM in space systems
Module 2
Fault Management Process Overview
- FM process phases: design initiation through mission operations
- Definition and scope of the fault management (FM) process within the spacecraft life cycle
Module 3
Conceptual Design and Requirements Development
- Identifying driving requirements and critical sequences early in design
- Balancing redundancy, safing/modes, and ground intervention strategies
- Methods for developing and allocating FM requirements across hardware, software, autonomy, and ground systems
Module 4
Reliability Analysis & Trade Studies
- Introduction to reliability analysis techniques (RBDs, FMEAs, fault trees)
- Redundancy strategies and trade-offs between complexity, cost, and reliability
Module 5
Detailed Fault Management Design and Autonomy Integration
- Translating FM requirements into detailed design elements
- Autonomy principles and their role in FM architectures
Module 6
Verification, Testing, and Operations
- FM verification and validation (V&V) approaches across mission development phases
- FM testing approaches during integration and system-level testing
- FM in operations: anomaly detection, safing events, and recovery
Who is this course for?
Primary Audience: Engineers and technical professionals from government, industry, and academia involved in the design, development, testing, or operation of space systems who wish to expand their expertise in fault management.
Secondary Audience: Mission operations personnel, systems engineers, reliability engineers, and project managers supporting NASA, DoD, or commercial space missions who seek to strengthen their understanding of fault management architecture, analysis, and implementation.
Tertiary Audience: Graduate students, early-career professionals, and others with an interest in spacecraft reliability, autonomy, or mission assurance who want to gain insight into the role of fault management in successful mission execution.
Meet your instructor
Kristin Fretz, PhD
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
Dr. Kristin Fretz is a member of the Principal Professional Staff at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), where she has worked for more than 25 years in reliability engineering, fault management, and systems engineering. She currently serves as the Managing Executive in APL’s Space Exploration Sector and has contributed to a wide range of NASA and Department of Defense missions.
Dr. Fretz began her career performing reliability analyses for missions such as MESSENGER, New Horizons, STEREO, and Van Allen Probes, later serving as the Fault Management Engineer and Mission Systems Engineer for Van Allen Probes. Her other roles have included Deputy Payload Systems Engineer for Parker Solar Probe, Requirements and Verification Engineer and LICIACube Integration Manager for DART, and Mission Systems Engineer and Program Manager for the CubeSat mission CAT.
She holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Health and Exercise Science from Wake Forest University and earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Reliability Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Dr. Fretz brings extensive practical experience to her teaching, with a focus on advancing the principles and practice of fault management engineering and integrating reliability principles into complex space systems.
Completion recognition
Complete the course to earn a Johns Hopkins University badge of completion and receive completion recognition from AIAA.
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.
Live session recording notice
Live virtual sessions are recorded and may be repurposed as course materials at the discretion of Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and viewed by future learners. Recordings may include your name, image, voice, questions, comments, and other participation. Although JHU will make reasonable efforts to remove or minimize personally identifiable information during editing, some identifying information and participation may remain in the recordings.
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