Small satellites, big playground: driving lessons in the space jungle

MSCA Fellow of the Month

Italian researcher and MSCA alumnus Carmine Giordano from Politecnico di Milano is up next in our monthly spotlight series.

His project focuses on empowering a new generation of satellites, promising to reshape the future of space exploration and open doors for new operators.

"Imagine you have a little toy car that needs to drive around a bumpy playground all by itself. CASTOR gives that toy car its own smart brain so it can look ahead, avoid obstacles and keep going on its own - but instead of a car we have a tiny spacecraft called CubeSat, and our playground is some asteroids as big as Milan's Duomo."

Pioneering autonomous spacecraft

Space exploration has skyrocketed in the last decade, ushering in a new era. Small and cheap spacecraft can now bypass the extensive and expensive ground-control teams and infrastructure currently required for small-scale missions.

Carmine's passion stems from the space boom: how can we train our space messengers to "think for themselves" when they are out in the open? The answer is: exactly the same way you would do with a budding driver getting their first licence.

"First, we wrote the driving instructions that can handle surprise bumps, like a GPS that knows about traffic jams. Then we pack that brain into a small computer that fits in a CubeSat. Finally, we test the whole system in a lab "space playground," with robotic arms and simulations that pretend to be an asteroid. A team then works together to build this special vehicle, so that one day we will have spaceships zipping around space rocks. And maybe that spaceship can be your own!"

A world-class partnership

CASTOR (which stands for "Challenging Autonomous Spacecraft through Trajectory Optimization with Robustness") is a joint venture between Italy's Politecnico di Milano, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), three leading institutions in space research.

After his PhD, for which he had already researched robust trajectory optimisation, Carmine had the opportunity to engage with the multidisciplinary network of mentors and peers that world-leading space agencies can offer.

"As an MSCA post-doctoral fellow in CASTOR, I had the rare opportunity to design autonomous guidance algorithms for spacecraft alongside world leading experts. While the challenges pushed me beyond my comfort zone, the support and collaboration during the project have been truly transformative. I am deeply grateful to MSCA and everyone who made this journey possible."

A new era for a new generation

Carmine's research on minor bodies and asteroids is as much about the future as it is about the present. He presented his findings at three conferences in Orlando, Hawaii and Milan, and explained how we can protect the Earth from future catastrophic events at a local school in Italy.

The project's outcome could potentially shape the future of space exploration, by opening the space and its market to new operators such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and universities.

CASTOR's approach to autonomous spacecraft navigation aligns closely with the EU's Apply AI Strategy started earlier in October.This strategy promotes the adoption of AI in strategic sectors such as space and supporting innovation among SMEs.

Connecting beyond space

Carmine has joined the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), where he is excited to meet fellow researchers to exchange perspectives that go beyond his own field.

"The network highlights how fellow researchers go beyond the purely technical dimension of science, engaging with the public and institutions, and fostering collaborations that broaden the impact of research."