This page is under construction, all descriptions are very brief and incomplete! More information can be found in the publications.
Current Development and Research Projects
Low-Thrust Mission Analysis and Optimization
- for a combined SEP/REP mission to the heliopause
- Development of InTrance. InTrance stands for Intelligent Trajectory optimization using neurocontroller evolution. It is a software for the
optimization of low-thrust trajectories (SEP, NEP, solar sails). In contrast to traditional low-thrust trajectory optimization methods, InTrance does not require an initial guess and not the attendance
of an expert in optimal control and astrodynamics to find near-globally optimal trajectories. InTrance is currently further developed by Andreas Ohndorf for his PhD thesis.
Solar Sails
- Mission analysis and design
- Trajectory optimization
- Orbit and attitude dynamics and control
- Solar sail modeling
- Advanced concepts (e.g. advanced solar photon thruster)
IceMole: a Combined Drill and Melting Probe for In-Situ Measurements in Ice
- Pre-development of a combined drill and melting probe for in-situ measurements in ice (glaciers, ice sheets) at FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences.
COMPASS-2
- Development of the next generation CubeSat at FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences.
Past Development and Research Projects
Low-Thrust Mission Analysis and Optimization
- for missions to small bodies (solar sail and electric, also multiple rendezvous and sample return missions)
- for asteroid deflection missions (solar sail and electric)
- for NASA's Solar Polar Imager (SPI) mission (solar sail)
- for a SEP mission to Jupiter and Europa (CONSEP study)
- for a SEP mission to Saturn (CONSEP 2 study)
- for missions into the outer solar system and to the heliopause (solar sail and electric)
Solar Sails
- Mission analysis and design for missions to small bodies, missions into the outer solar system and to the heliopause, and missions into close solar orbits
- Mission analysis and design for asteroid deflection missions
- Development of a sail film degradation model