PhD Studentship: Advanced Representations of Orbital Uncertainty in Astrodynamics

Start date: 1^st January 2025 (earliest), 1^st July 2025 (latest).

Supervisor: Dr Davide Amato

Introduction: Congestion and competition in the space domain have escalated in the last decade, presenting significant challenges for the safety, security, and sustainability of space activities due to the risk of in-space collisions creating space debris. Future algorithms for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) systems will need to track rapidly increasing numbers of Resident Space Objects (RSOs) from cislunar space to low-Earth orbit. A key challenge in astrodynamics for SSA is to accurately predict trajectories of RSOs under uncertainty, especially when the objects are faint (they are small or far away) and the observations are infrequent.

Objectives: Two PhD opportunities are available in computational astrodynamics.

The first student will develop efficient computational methods for the realistic quantification of uncertainty in cislunar space. The student will generalise analytical methods in astrodynamics and data-driven methods to develop a robust cislunar state estimation framework. The student will be co-supervised by Dr Urban Fasel.

The second student will develop fast trajectory prediction methods with known accuracy bounds. The student will develop functional analysis techniques to solve and determine future trajectories in an optimization framework.

The developed algorithms will be validated through implementation on CICLOPS, an optical telescope system in development at Imperial.

Both students will be expected to submit publications to high-impact journals and present findings at major international conferences.

Learning opportunities: Upon completion of the projects, you will be an expert in astrodynamics and will have developed skills in spaceflight dynamics, navigation, and machine learning.

Duration: 3.5 years.

Funding:

Full coverage of tuition fees and an annual tax-free stipend of £21,237 for Home students.

These projects are within the AFOSR grant “Near-linear uncertainty quantification and tracking in the cislunar regime”.

Eligibility:

• These studentships are available to students eligible for Home fees.
• Having obtained or expect to obtain a 1^st class honours Master’s (or higher) degree in Aerospace Engineering or allied disciplines such as Computational Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, or Physics.
• Ability to develop and apply new concepts while prioritising work in response to deadlines.
• Creative approach to problem-solving.
• Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision.
• Excellent background in numerical methods, orbital mechanics, and scientific computing.
• Excellent verbal and written technical communication skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly for publication.

How to apply:

• Send a preliminary application to Dr Davide Amato, d.amato@imperial.ac.uk, citing “PhD studentship – Orbital UQ” in the title. Applicants should include a cover letter showing how they meet the selection criteria, a CV, university transcripts and, optionally, a piece of written work (for instance, from a previous project report).
• Submit your application at: ww.imperial.ac.uk/study/apply/postgraduate-doctoral/application-process/. You will need to include the reference (AE0055) and address your application to Department of Aeronautics.

For queries regarding the application process, please contact:

Lisa Kelly: l.kelly@imperial.ac.uk

Application deadline: 3^rd December 2024.

For further information: please email:

Dr Davide Amato, Lecturer in Spacecraft Engineering, d.amato@imperial.ac.uk.

You can also learn more about Imperial at www.imperial.ac.uk/study/pg.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Imperial is committed to equality and valuing diversity. We are an Athena SWAN Silver Award winner, a Stonewall Diversity Champion, a Disability Confident Employer and are working in partnership with GIRES to promote respect for trans people.

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