Aeronautics & Astronautics
Our Aeronautics and Astronautics activities are related to the science and engineering of aircraft, spacecraft and other aerodynamic systems.
Our researchers have designed and flown the world’s first ‘printed’ aircraft, which could revolutionise the economics of aircraft design.
SULSA
These involve fundamental and applied studies of aerodynamics, aeroacoustics, flight dynamics, space physics and spacecraft systems, using both computational and experimental facilities. Applications include reducing aircraft noise and fuel consumption, increasing wind-turbine efficiency, the fidelity of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, mitigating space debris, etc. More specific information on our activities can be found by following the links for the relevant research groups or courses.
Our researchers reached above the clouds in a first-of-its-kind experiment to develop new technologies that probe the stratosphere using an unmanned vehicle.
ASTRA phone
Our research expertise includes computational and experimental studies of transitional and turbulent flows, mechanisms of near-wall turbulence, aeroacoustics, wind-turbine arrays, environmental pollution dispersion, race car aerodynamics, electric propulsion, remote sensing, multi-functional spacecraft structures, modelling the solar high-energy radiation environment, and guidelines for mitigation of space debris.
Undergraduate programmes:
- H401 MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics (4 years)
- H422 BEng (Hons) Aeronautics & Astronautics (3 years)
- HJ45 MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics / Advanced Materials (4 years)
- H490 MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics / Aerodynamics (4 years)
- H491 MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics / Airvehicle Systems Design (4 years)
- HN42 MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics / Engineering Management (4 years)
- H425 MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics / European Studies (4 years)
- H493 MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics / Spacecraft Engineering (4 years)
- H492 MEng Aeronautics & Astronautics / Structural Design (4 years)
- H008 BEng/MEng Engineering with foundation year (4-5 years)
- H400 MEng Space Systems Engineering (4 years)
Postgraduate taught programmes:
- MSc Unmanned Vehicle Systems Design / Air-vehicle (1 year)
- MSc Race Car Aerodynamics (1 year)
- MSc Aerodynamics & Computation (1 year)
- MSc Space Systems Engineering (1 year)
Postgraduate research programmes:
Meet our students
Nicola Beveridge
“Studying here enabled me to focus on the subject areas I was most interested in. This flexibility and the University’s great reputation helped me to start a career in my chosen industry.”
What's related
Consultancy is provided primarily through the Research Institute for Industry. RIfI is a cutting edge consultancy and applied research organisation able to support and collaborate with industry in the specialist fields of mechanical engineering.
Other University of Southampton sites
Research and teaching is supported by access to a range of state-of-the-art computational and experimental facilities, some of which are the largest of their kind to be found in university environments.
Our facilities include:
- A range of large and small wind tunnels
- Iridis supercomputer
- Astronautics Lab & Vibration test facility
- UAV development lab
Testing UAV designs in the wind tunnels
Testing UAV designs