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  • Welcome to the Space Systems Design Laboratory (SSDL)

The Space Systems Design Lab (SSDL) at the Georgia Institute of Technology creates space technologies and advanced mission concepts that enable new missions and capabilities in robotic and human space exploration. Research focuses on space flight applications and projects. We use modern engineering tools including mission design methodologies, systems engineering, additive manufacturing, simulation, optimization, sensing, estimation and control to propose, participate in, and operate space flight missions that conduct space science and demonstrate new technologies.

The SSDL is a multi-faculty, interdisciplinary research lab located within the School of Aerospace Engineering. The SSDL is currently directed by Prof. E. Glenn Lightsey. Prior SSDL Directors include David A. Spencer (2010-2016), Robert D. Braun (2003-2016), and John R. Olds (1998-2005).

Focus Areas

Small Satellite Flight Projects

Full life cycle design from mission concept to operations

Space Technology Development

Technology maturation enabling new capabilities for spacecraft

Mission Campaign Optimization

Applying optimization theory to design sequential missions

Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation and Control

Creating new methods for spacecraft control

Featured Projects

Upcoming Events

News

Dr. Romero-Calvo has received NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) award for his research on improved electrolysis using magnetohydrodynamics. The concept that he and his team are working on will allow the efficient and reliable creation of oxygen and hydrogen gas in microgravity with up to 50% mass savings compared to current technologies. The NIAC award will fund further research and exploration of the topic.

Sam Hart was awarded Best Small Satellite Student Paper at the 2024 AIAA SciTech Forum for his paper, "Leveraging Phase Change for CubeSat Propellant Positioning." His doctoral research focuses on developing new methods of propellant management for small spacecraft. This work is advised by Professors Glenn Lightsey and Álvaro Romero-Calvo.

After over a year of operations, the Lunar Flashlight mission has now ended. As the spacecraft is leaving the Earth-Moon system, communications are no longer feasible. The tremendously hard work of the Georgia Tech and JPL teams led to a mission that is considered a success by all involved. Despite the off-nominal trajectory and anomalies in the propulsion system performance, a large amount of scientific data was collected. This data will be used to further optical navigation research being conducted in the SSDL.

SSDL Ph.D. student Logan Feld from Dr Koki Ho's group received the NSTGRO Fellowship.

His research will look into the impact of various control systems (thrusters, solar radiation pressure, multi-spacecraft) on overcoming gravitational and geometric uncertainties around small bodies such as asteroids and comets, with the goal of minimizing the amount of control necessary. The simulated spacecraft will be a mothership-daughtership configuration that will utilize as little control as possible to land the daughtership on the small body surface with varying amounts of uncertainty. 

In the early morning hours of December 11th, the Lunar Flashlight spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral. This 6U CubeSat will survey the lunar south pole for water ice. Lunar Flashlight was integrated and will now be operated by the SSDL! Additionally, the green monopropellant propulsion system used to inject the spacecraft into its lunar orbit was developed by members of the SSDL. Congratulations to all of those involved! 

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