PhD studentship in Aeronautics: Advanced representations of orbital uncertainty in astrodynamics (AE0055_v2)

Start date: earliest date is 1^st March 2025, latest date is 1^st July 2025.

Supervisors: Dr Davide Amato, Dr Urban Fasel

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, as in cislunar space.

Objectives: One PhD opportunity is available in computational astrodynamics.

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

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

The student 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, EU and International students. This project is funded through the AFOSR grant “Near-linear uncertainty quantification and tracking in the cislunar regime”.

Eligibility:

• 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:

• Submit your application at: www.imperial.ac.uk/study/apply/postgraduate-doctoral/application-process/.
• Submit your application at www.imperial.ac.uk/study/apply/postgraduate-doctoral/application-process/. For your application to be considered you need to input the following information:
  • Course: Aeronautics Research (PhD), Full Time, Summer 2024-25
  • Research topic: Please use reference number AE0055_v2
  • Research Supervisor: Dr Davide Amato
  • Research Group: Aero

For queries regarding the application process, please contact:

Lisa Kelly, at l.kelly@imperial.ac.uk

Application deadline: until filled

For further information: please email:

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

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