Small satellites control and formation testing
Worked on exploring UAV-based testbeds for Small satellites control and formation testing. Research got accepted at AIAA Scitech 2026, presented it at the conference.
About the paper:
This research explored the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as a safe and flexible testing platform for technologies used in small satellite formations. With the growing use of groups of small satellites for Earth observation and scientific missions, it is important to validate sensing systems, control algorithms, and coordination strategies before deploying them in space. In this work, UAVs such as drones are used to emulate the behaviour of satellites flying in formation, allowing these technologies to be tested in a controlled terrestrial environment.
The research also introduced the GLITTER (Gnss-r sateLlITe earth obsERvation) project, which investigates GNSS Reflectometry (GNSS-R), a technique that uses reflected navigation satellite signals to observe the Earth. Formation geometries are first developed in simulation environments such as Simulink and then transferred to UAV simulations and flight tests. This approach demonstrates that guidance, autonomy, and sensing algorithms intended for satellites can be tested safely, repeatedly, and cost-effectively on Earth, helping accelerate the development of future small satellite missions.
Conference images
Attended Training schools in UC Louvain and TU Delft
Secondment in Syntony, Toulouse, France
