Goddard Engineering and Technology Directorate

Integrated Design Center (IDC)

Photo of the Instrument Design Lab (IDC) which is located at Goddard Space Flight Center
Instrument Design Lab (IDC) is located at Goddard Space Flight Center

Rapid Space System Analysis and Conceptual Design

The Integrated Design Center (IDC) is a multi-disciplinary, concurrent Engineering Facility that specializes in rapid conceptual mission and instrument design.

The Center has two dedicated facilities located at NASA Goddard in Greenbelt and one located at Wallops Flight Facility. At these ETD lab facilities, design teams and customers collaborate in an environment that promotes rapid development and efficient trade studies of space system architectures, applications and concepts. The Mission Design Lab (MDL) offers conceptual end-to-end mission design and analysis while the Instrument Design Lab (IDL) offers conceptual design and analysis of instrument systems are located in Greenbelt, Maryland. The Mission Planning Lab (MPL) offers conceptual end-to-end suborbital and small satellite mission design and analysis and offers a capabilities catalog unique to the lab.

Benefits of the IDC

The IDC labs design the next generation space flight missions and instruments for Goddard, the Agency and the Nation. The IDC was created in 1997 to address the need to perform conceptual engineering, test the feasibility of competitive proposals, and provide credibility of the conceptual design. With several decades of collaborative design experience, honing the process and products via continuous improvement, the IDC provides customers with:

  • Early risk assessments and trade space exploration
  • Infusion of systems engineering into initial concepts
  • Independent technical assessment
  • Access to engineering support
  • Rapid development cycles

Contact:
Liz Matson
Integrated Design Center (IDC) Manager

The Integrated Design Center (IDC) is managed by the
Engineering and Technology Directorate (Code 500)