Allan Shtofenmakher

• Research Assistant at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

While the Sun provides the Earth with the energy needed to sustain life, the volatility associated with this intense energy source generates solar weather, which can have devastating implications on Earth. Solar weather can result in data compromise, radio interference, premature satellite deorbit, and even failure of the power grid. To mitigate th...

As interest in digital engineering within a variety of technical domains begins to accelerate, industries continue to encounter obstacles with regard to implementing—and benefiting from—digital twin technologies. One key challenge facing digital twin adoption in the aerospace industry, in particular, is a lack of standardized digital twin framework...

The recent proliferation of resident space objects (RSOs) in low Earth orbit (LEO) threatens the sustainability of space as a resource and requires persistent monitoring to avoid collisions involving valuable space assets. State-of-the-art ground-based space surveillance techniques, due to their susceptibility to atmosphere, weather, and lighting c...

The U.S. Space Surveillance Network (SSN) currently tracks over 23,000 resident space objects (RSOs) in low-earth orbit (LEO). The SSN uses ground-based radar and optical methods, which are susceptible to variations in atmosphere, weather, and lighting conditions. These barriers limit surveillance capabilities to objects with characteristic length...