Aeronautical vs. Astronautical Engineering: Exploring the Two Branches of Aerospace

From ancient times, humanity has always dreamed of flying. The popular story of Icarus or the sketches of Leonardo Da Vinci, symbols of this ambition. For centuries, the idea of taking to the skies remained firmly in the realm of myth and imagination until in 1903 when a fragile wooden aircraft managed to stay afloat for 12 seconds, marking the beginning of a new era for humanity. Aerospace engineering is the field of engineering which is dedicated to understanding, designing and perfecting objects which fly and it holds a vital importance in todays world, not just because of its role in transportation, defence and space exploration but because its a testament to how incredible we humans are and how we are able to push the boundaries of what is possible. Aerospace engineering is split into two disciplinary fields, Aeronautical engineering which focuses on the study of objects within Earths atmosphere such as planes and helicopters and Astronautical engineering which focuses on the study of objects outside the Earths atmosphere such as satellites and rockets.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), more than 40 million commercial flights take place around the world every year, carrying billions of passengers across vast distances. What seems routine today is, in fact, one of humanity’s greatest engineering achievements and at the heart of it lies aeronautical engineering. As mentioned before, aeronautical engineering is the branch of aerospace engineering dedicated to the development of aircrafts which operate within Earth’s atmosphere. How can we make flying safer, faster, more efficient, and more sustainable? These are the common questions that aeronautical engineers try to answer daily. Aeronautical engineers usually focus on the following key areas: Aerodynamics, one of the most important areas in aeronautics. Aerodynamics is a huge and very complicated concept. To not overcomplicate this blog, aerodynamics is in short the study of air and its interactions with objects. Aerodynamics is an important area in aeronautics as its interactions with an aircraft can affect drag, thrust and lift, forces which affect an aircrafts safety, speed, efficiency and sustainability. Propulsion is another key area that aeronautical engineering focuses on. It focuses on engines and how they are able to generate the forces they need for flight. Control systems is also another important area and it focuses on how aircrafts are able to operate and fly precisely

On the other side, astronautical engineering is a highly specialised and unique field which is focused on how to overcome the challenges of space. In astronautical engineering, large emphasis is put on the following: Orbital mechanics. Orbital mechanics is required in astronautical engineering to predict and more importantly, to control the motion of objects. Orbital mechanics has to be extremely precise so objects are able to maintain stable movement, in orbital calculations, if even a single decimal point is placed wrongly, it can cause orbiting objects to veer off its course permanently. Similar to aeronautical engineering, propulsion is also a key component. However, in astronautical engineering, the study of propulsion is taken to a totally different level. While jet engines work within Earths atmosphere, rockets and other advanced objects like long range missiles require much more advanced engines to be able to overcome gravity and operate in the vacuum of space. 

As sub-disciplines of the same engineering field, astronautical and aeronautical engineering are bound to share some similarities. As mentioned before, both disciplines share a heavy emphasis on propulsion systems. Control systems are also key areas in both fields as is spacecraft design. The feature they are most similar in however is how they are both critical in todays modern world. We would not be as technologically advanced or safe or able to travel or any of the other infinite opportunities aerospace engineering offers us. Both aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering have totally transformed the way in which we live so the next time you get on a flight or a spaceship, remember that it is the result of centuries of innovation, imagination, and determination in aerospace engineering.