The formation times of the Galilean moons: A numerical simulation of short-lived radionuclide heating in circumplanetary planetesimals formed by the streaming instability

Context: The Galilean moons are expected to have formed in a circumplanetary disk (CPD) and exhibit a characteristic compositional gradient: an increasing ice mass fraction with increasing distance from Jupiter. Ice released from hydrated silicates formed inside planetesimals might be the cause of this compositional gradient. One of the...

Towards Sustainable Satellite Swarms: MSc Aerospace Engineering Thesis

Satellite swarms are an emerging mission architecture which offer a flexible, robust alternative to traditional space missions. Drawing inspiration from naturally occurring swarms such as honey bees or ant colonies, satellite swarms consist of individual satellite agents working cooperatively towards a common goal. Distributed multi-agent space...

MPC-based autonomous assignment algorithm for a swarm of satellites

This thesis was aimed for the Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at The Delft University of Technology. The goal of this research was to formulate an assignment algorithm for autonomous guidance, control, and navigation system for spacecraft formation flying using a Model Predictive Control approach for estimation of fuel...

Linking Titan’s properties to its formation conditions: A large NH3 inventory in Titan’s building blocks supports the presence of a subsurface ocean

Gas giant satellites are generally believed to form in circumplanetary disks (CPDs): a gas disk containing solid particles that accumulate to form moons over time. The discoveries by the Cassini­ Huygens mission have led to a revision of the birth environment of the Saturnian system. The aim of this thesis is to constrain the formation...