In order to apply for any of the following theses or internships, the candidate must have no more than 3 exams left.
Overview:
GUBAS (General Use Binary Asteroid Simulator) is an open-source simulation tool designed to model the full two-body dynamics of binary asteroid systems. By numerically integrating the coupled translational and rotational motion of both bodies, GUBAS enables realistic simulations of complex dynamical environments such as the Didymos–Dimorphos system, target of ESA’s Hera mission.
This capability is particularly relevant for the radio science experiment, which relies on precise modeling of the binary system’s gravity field and rotational state to extract physical parameters such as the mass, density distribution, and mutual orbit evolution of the two bodies.
Objective:
The goal of this thesis is to use GUBAS to simulate the coupled motion of Didymos and Dimorphos under different dynamical assumptions, and to assess the implications for the Hera Radio Science Experiment. The candidate will reproduce the system’s full-two-body dynamics, compare them with simplified point-mass models, and investigate how non-spherical gravity and mutual coupling affect the tracking observables used in radio science analyses.
Tasks:
Familiarize with the GUBAS framework and its implementation of full two-body dynamics.
Set up a numerical model of the Didymos–Dimorphos system using published shape, mass, and orbit parameters.
Perform simulations to study the mutual orbital and rotational evolution under realistic initial conditions.
Compare full-two-body results with classical Keplerian or restricted two-body approximations.
Analyze how dynamical effects influence the observables of the Hera Radio Science Experiment (e.g., range and Doppler signatures).
Prepare documentation and visualizations to support integration with the broader Hera radio science modeling framework.
Requirements:
Basic knowledge of orbital and rotational dynamics.
Familiarity with Python or MATLAB for data analysis and visualization.
Interest in planetary science, small-body dynamics, and radio science.
This thesis offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the Hera mission’s radio science experiment and to the modeling of binary asteroid dynamics using a state-of-the-art open-source tool developed for planetary defense and small-body research.
Topic: Planetary Defence
Tutor: Edoardo Gramigna
Uploaded: 16/12/2025
In the context of spacecraft navigation, optical navigation is one of the most promising and novel methods for enabling a spacecraft to autonomously determine its position and orientation. To obtain accurate measurements, the cameras used must be carefully calibrated and need to reliably detect light from stars.
Optical navigation provides an alternative to classical radiometric navigation — especially when the spacecraft is deep in space or out of line-of-sight from ground stations on Earth. The potential of this technique has been demonstrated in many missions (e.g., from the Voyager fly-by at Uranus) and it will be used in the upcoming HERA mission for the approach to the Didymos system.
The aim of this project is to implement a technique from the literature called Modified Moment, typically used for detecting light sources (such as stars or unresolved small bodies) in the field of view of a star camera or navigation camera. The student will work with a Python code base, and will acquire the capability to process images and detect candidate stars in HERA-like images.
Tutor: Davide Banzi
Topic: Astrometry, Data Analysis, Image Detection
Uploaded: 23/12/2025
One of the main challenges in interplanetary trajectory design is determining how to transfer a spacecraft from one planet to another while minimizing fuel consumption. A widely used technique to reduce the amount of propellant required, thereby avoiding large fuel tanks and excessive direct burns, is planetary flybys between the departure and target bodies. In particular, when these flybys are used to modify the spacecraft’s velocity by leveraging the gravitational field of a celestial body, the maneuver is referred to as a gravity assist. Gravity assists allow a spacecraft to gain or lose heliocentric velocity without using additional fuel, making them an essential tool in deep-space mission design.
Gravity-assisted flybys are common in space missions. They have been used in missions to the outer solar system such as Voyager, Pioneer and Rosetta, as well as in missions to the inner solar system like MESSENGER, Parker Solar Probe and BepiColombo.
The goal of this project is to simulate a transfer trajectory from Earth to Venus, with the possibility of extending the simulation to include multiple gravity assists to reach Mercury, inspired by the transfer strategy employed by BepiColombo. The candidate will use the General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT), an open-source software for orbit propagation and mission design, to model and analyze these interplanetary trajectories.
Tutor: Davide Banzi
Topic: Space Navigation, Simulation, GMAT
Uploaded: 24/02/2026