Visitor Seminar: “Orbital Perturbations and Stochastic Machine Learning Techniques for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) Applications “

Abstract:

Safety of the near-Earth space environment, where we have many of our important assets like communication and reconnaissance satellites, ISS, space-based optical sensors, etc., is an ever-increasing concern because of the exploding number of satellite launches. Kessler’s Syndrome (the cascading phenomenon where space debris collisions create more debris and more collisions) may render this precious near-Earth space inaccessible. This seminar focuses on two topics: (a) novel analytic techniques for space situational awareness (SSA) applications (b) stochastic machine learning techniques for SSA in low Earth orbit (LEO). The first topic will focus on the development of sensor tasking strategies in presence of orbital/design uncertainties and SSA constraints for the detection of so-called high area-to-mass ratio (HAMR) objects. Most of the HAMR objects are not cataloged, and they are difficult to track because of their susceptibility to large perturbations from non-conservative forces, making them an extremely potential threat. The second topic of the seminar will investigate the modeling of uncertainties in drag coefficient using Bayesian machine learning techniques. Both simple and complex geometries will be investigated. It will also cover the effect of drag coefficient uncertainty on orbital perturbations under various space weather conditions. A brief discussion on the estimation of important parameters in SSA/space weather using a combination of dynamical theory and machine learning will also be carried out. Finally, possible research directions stemming from the current research work will be discussed.

Bio:

Smriti Nandan Paul is currently a post-doctoral research fellow at West Virginia University (WVU). His research interests lie at the intersection of astrodynamics, space situational awareness (SSA), space weather, and applications of machine learning techniques in SSA/space weather. Paul earned his Dual Degree in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Bombay. He earned his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Purdue University. He is the recipient of AAE Teaching Scholarship 2019, AAE Teaching Fellowship 2020, and AAE Teaching Assistant Award 2019. Prior to his current position at WVU, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Purdue University. His internship experience in the aerospace industry includes Planet Labs (Attitude Determination and Control System Team) and IN Space LLC (Space Debris Re-entry Policy Analyst).