PhD candidate for Deployment and Control of a Distributed Telescope as a Fo

at  Universit du Luxembourg

SnT is a leading international research and innovation centre in secure, reliable and trustworthy ICT systems and services. We play an instrumental role in Luxembourg by fueling innovation through research partnerships with industry, boosting R&D investments leading to economic growth, and attracting highly qualified talent.
The SnT Automation & Robotics Research Group is a strong and motivated research team led by Prof. Holger Voos. The group focuses on situational awareness and advanced control in the automation of complex systems such as autonomous vehicles and robots or space systems, see https://www.uni.lu/snt-en/research-groups/ARG/
The SnT Automation & Robotics Research Group is seeking to hire a highly motivated PhD candidate within the Horizon Europe – Marie-Skłodowska-Curie – Doctoral Network GNSS-R SATELLITE EARTH OBSERVATION (GLITTER).
GNSS-R is a technique to carry out Earth observation based on reflections on the ground (or sea, or ice) of signals originating from GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals. The proposed project consists of educating a new generation of experts, at doctoral level, able to bring a qualitative leap to this technology. The scientific and technological goal consists of developing such systems based on a synchronized constellation of Cubesats. An important advantage of this arrangement is the very low cost of cubesats and the possibility to increase resolution based on beamforming from the satellites. Ground truth, as well as some of the methods, will originate from near-field radar technology. This will require further research on all segments of GNSS-R technology and beyond: launching and adjustment of cubesat formations, RF synchronization, interferometry between moving platforms, calibration of RF front-ends, ground testing making use of drones, cubesat systems, on-board processing, data transfer and analysis, translation into ground truth and into predictions important for climate change studies and for optimal territory management. The project may also benefit to other technologies making use of interferometry, such as radioastronomy and phased array based communications. It is also expected to assist industry segments making use of GNSS signals, such as precision agriculture, forestry and sea and land management.
We’re looking for people driven by excellence, excited about innovation, and looking to make a difference. If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place!

GLITTER offers a rich inter-sector training program, with private and academic partners, recognized in all segments of satellite-based Earth observation at microwaves. The program has been designed taking into consideration the “triple i” aspects: international, inter-sectoral, and inter-disciplinary, thanks to the different competences brought by each partner of the network as well as lecturer outside of the consortium with complementary competences. Each Doctoral Candidate (DC) will benefit from an individual and customized training program, established in a personal career development plan that offers a combination of research specific and transferable skills. A network-wide training will be offered by the consortium during the whole project life cycle through 4 training schools and 3 workshops.
This PhD project aims at the development of an improved distributed control of such formations of small satellites, also using a combination of solar and aerodynamic forces for propellant-less control. This will be ideal to deploy, maintain and reconfigure cost-efficiently a large formation of small satellites but requires the detailed modelling of the satellite dynamics, including the effects of aerodynamic forces (caused by the residual atmosphere in LEO) and the solar radiation pressure. After an analysis of optimal formation geometries for Earth observation, suitable orbital guidance and attitude control approaches will be developed and tested, using advanced simulation tools as well as formation flight experiments on a smaller scale with drones. These flight tests will also provide a better understanding of the level of control needed to achieve satisfactory beamforming.

The successful candidate will work under the main supervision of Prof. Holger Voos and will be required to perform the following tasks:

• Carry out the aforementioned research with collaborators at the SnT and members of the large European GLITTER consortium
• Participate in the training program of the GLITTER project
• spent a research stay (6 months) at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), to work with Prof. C. Craeye on RF synchronization between satellites and the impact on formation control
• Disseminate your findings at renowned international conferences and workshops and in journal papers
• Provide assistance in organizational matters related to GLITTER