Rising stars of space exploration

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1 October 2024

Faculty of Engineering, Science and technology, UniNews

Minduli Wijayatunga, Professor Roberto Armellin and Jack Yarndley. Photo: Chris Loufte

From interplanetary missions to the search for extraterrestrial life, it's easy to see how space exploration has captured our imaginations - yet many are unaware of the critical role astrodynamics plays in making these journeys possible.

Like pilots flying aeroplanes, scientists and engineers working in the field of astrodynamics guide spacecraft through space using mathematics, physics and celestial mechanics to understand their motion under gravitational forces.

Astrodynamics is crucial for exploring and utilising space efficiently and safely. It's the science that makes sure our space missions go exactly where they need to, when they need to, all while avoiding obstacles and conserving resources.

At Te Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute in the Faculty of Engineering, a dedicated team, led by Professor Roberto Armellin, is at the forefront of this fascinating field.

Though not a space enthusiast by nature, Roberto has always had a passion for solving mathematical problems. He chose aerospace engineering because it sounded intriguing, and he quickly discovered the joy of space trajectory optimisation - the process of determining the most efficient path for a spacecraft to travel from one point to another in space.

His passion for the field was fuelled by one of his professors, Amalia Ercoli Finzi, the first Italian woman in aerospace engineering. Today, he teaches the very class she once taught him back in Italy, passing on her legacy of inspiration and knowledge to students in Aotearoa New Zealand.

"I see this work as an exciting opportunity to contribute to the education of the first generation of aerospace engineers in this country," he says.

Until recently, students had to go abroad to pursue their degrees in astrodynamics. However, that has changed thanks in part to the efforts of the Space Institute. Among the students Roberto supervises is Jack Yarndley, who is believed to be the first New Zealander undertaking a PhD in astrodynamics in the country.

Like Roberto, the 24-year-old has always been fascinated by space trajectory optimisation work.

"When I was growing up, one of my favourite video games was Kerbal Space Program, which is all about going to different planets and launching fictional characters into space using orbital dynamics. What I really liked was figuring out how to do that in the most optimal way, which is what astrodynamics is all about."

It's an exciting opportunity to contribute to the education of the first generation of aerospace engineers in this country.

Professor Roberto ArmellinTe Pūnaha Ātea Space Institute

Jack is currently developing a station-keeping strategy for the Binar Prospector, a mission proposed by Curtin University in Perth. This strategy ensures the spacecraft stays in the right orbit as it grazes the Moon's surface, helping us understand its potential for resource prospecting.

In early 2025, Jack will spend three months at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) with two fellow students from the Space Institute. He'll be working on the mission design for a solar sailing spacecraft, which uses sunlight to propel itself through space, offering a novel way to explore the Moon's environment for future missions.

Meanwhile, his colleague Minduli Wijayatunga recently returned from her own four-month stint at JPL, which was focused on asteroid deflection.

"Asteroids present a significant risk to Earth. While there's low probability of impact, there are potentially severe consequences. The project I worked on aimed to address this threat by using ion beam deflection, which involves directing electric propulsion thrusters at an asteroid's surface to gradually alter its momentum and change its trajectory over time," she says.

"Ideally, we would never have to use them, but it's always better to be prepared."

Last year, the 25-year-old was a recipient of an Amelia Earhart Fellowship, which is awarded internationally each year to up to 30 women pursuing doctoral studies in aerospace engineering and space sciences.

Minduli has also collaborated with RocketLab and Astroscale, a company dedicated to space sustainability and debris removal, to design missions aimed at addressing the growing problem of space junk.

"It's a priority for me to use astrodynamics for the betterment of the planet, as well as for exploration purposes."

Together, the astrodynamics team achieved significant success by securing third place in the eleventh edition of the Global Trajectory Optimisation Competition (GTOC), often likened to the America's Cup of trajectory optimisation. They also placed fifth in GTOC 12 and currently boast the top post-competition solution, which centred on asteroid mining.

While it's known that there are valuable materials in space, bringing them back to Earth is currently either technologically unfeasible or prohibitively expensive, says Roberto.

"However, I believe this will change, and I hope to see us successfully utilise materials in space - or, even better, bring precious ones back to Earth."

Hussein Moses

This article first appeared in the October 2024 issue of UniNews.