The University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. A world top 100 university

Space & Exploration Technology

Pioneering the technologies that will shape future space missions and exploration

Staff

Researchers

Research Assistants	PhD candidates	Visitors
Dr James Beeley	Luca Löttgen	Emanuele Borghi
Dr Litesh Sulbhewar	Christopher Teale
Dr Iain Moore	Majid Alhajeri
Satyam Bhatti	Jack Tufft
Dr Vaibhav Somaji Anuse	Zitong Lin
Dr Khaldon Al-Areqi	Claudia Jimenez Cuesta
Dr Robbie Gordon	Matthew Deans
Jonathan Draper	Edward Tomanek-Volynets
	Jack Davies
	Abdullah Akdogan
	Miguel Rosa Morales
	Fabienne Seibert
	Alexander Lake

Selected publications

Tomanek-Volynets, Edward L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2927-5632, McInnes, Colin R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0988-8854 and Ceriotti, Matteo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6819-7178 (2025) Transfer learning for sample-efficient training of space trajectory cost approximators. IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 61(6), pp. 18311-18325. (doi: 10.1109/TAES.2025.3610417)

McInnes, Colin R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0988-8854 (2025) Ringworlds and Dyson spheres can be stable. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 537(2), pp. 1249-1267. (doi: 10.1093/mnras/staf028)

Gordon, Robert ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7760-8984, Ceriotti, Matteo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6819-7178 and Worrall, Kevin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9762-5274 (2025) Investigation of attitude control actuators for large flexible space structures using inverse simulation. Advances in Space Research, 75(2), pp. 2062-2087. (doi: 10.1016/j.asr.2024.11.010)

Teale, Christopher, Beeley, James, Bailet, Gilles ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2292-4792 and McInnes, Colin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0988-8854 (2025) Femtosatellite mission architectures and mission assurance strategies. Acta Astronautica, 226(1), pp. 398-413. (doi: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.10.019)

Çelik, Onur ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3706-0675 and McInnes, Colin R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0988-8854 (2024) A constellation design for orbiting solar reflectors to enhance terrestrial solar energy. Acta Astronautica, 217, pp. 145-161. (doi: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2024.01.031)

Viale, Andrea ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4076-6284, Çelik, Onur ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3706-0675, Oderinwale, Temitayo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3829-4924, Sulbhewar, Litesh and McInnes, Colin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0988-8854 (2023) A reference architecture for orbiting solar reflectors to enhance terrestrial solar power plant output. Advances in Space Research, 72(4), pp. 1304-1348. (doi: 10.1016/j.asr.2023.05.037)

Loettgen, Jan Luca, Ceriotti, Matteo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6819-7178, Aragon-Camarasa, Gerardo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3756-5569 and Worrall, Kevin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9762-5274 (2023) Deep Reinforcement Learning for Spacecraft Attitude Tracking Manoeuvres. Aerospace Europe Conference 2023 Joint 10th EUCASS - 9th CEAS Conference, Lausanne, Switzerland, 9-13 July 2023. (doi: 10.13009/EUCASS2023-671)

Budzyń, Dorota ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0824-1947, Zare-Behtash, Hossein ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4769-4076, Cowley, Aidan and Cammarano, Andrea ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8222-8150 (2023) Implicit lunar dust mitigation technology: compliant mechanisms. Acta Astronautica, 203, pp. 146-156. (doi: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2022.11.042)

Budzyń, D. H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0824-1947, Zare-Behtash, H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4769-4076, Cowley, A. and Cammarano, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8222-8150 (2023) Compliant Mechanisms for Dust Mitigation in Lunar Hardware Development: Technology and Material Considerations. In: Materials in the Space Environment (ISMSE-15 and ICPMSE-13), Leiden, The Netherlands, 18-23 Sep 2022, 012001. (doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/1287/1/012001)

Viavattene, Giulia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6401-4474 and Ceriotti, Matteo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6819-7178 (2022) Low-thrust, multiple NEA mission design with sample return to Earth using machine learning. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, 59(6), pp. 2148-2159. (doi: 10.2514/1.A34959)

Ionescu, Livia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1337-2175, McInnes, Colin R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0988-8854 and Ceriotti, Matteo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6819-7178 (2022) A multiple-vehicle strategy for near-Earth asteroid capture. Acta Astronautica, 199, pp. 71-85. (doi: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2022.07.004)

Budzyń, Dorota ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0824-1947, Tuohy, Eóin, Garrivier, Natan, Schild, Timon, Cowley, Aidan, Cruise, Reuben, Adachi, Masato, Zare-Behtash, Hossein ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4769-4076 and Cammarano, Andrea ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8222-8150 (2022) Lunar Dust: Its Impact on Hardware and Mitigation Technologies. In: 46th Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium, Houston, TX, USA, 11-13 May 2022, (In Press)

Viavattene, Giulia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6401-4474, Devereux, Ellen, Snelling, David, Payne, Niven, Wokes, Stephen and Ceriotti, Matteo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6819-7178 (2022) Design of multiple space debris removal missions using machine learning. Acta Astronautica, 193, pp. 277-286. (doi: 10.1016/j.actaastro.2021.12.051)

White, Craig ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8208-5049, Zare-Behtash, Hossein ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4769-4076, Kontis, Konstantinos ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4984-9166, Ukai, Takahiro, Merrifield, Jim, Evans, David, Coxhill, Ian, Langener, Tobias and Van den Eynde, Jeroen (2019) Test Facility to Investigate Plume-Regolith Interactions. International Conference on Flight Vehicles, Aerothermodynamics and Re-entry Missions and Engineering (FAR 2019), Monopoli, Italy, 30 Sept - 3 Oct 2019.

The Space and Exploration Technology (SET) research cluster brings together expertise in access to space, in-orbit systems, and planetary exploration technologies. Our work supports the design and delivery of future missions through a combination of simulation, laboratory-scale demonstration, and terrestrial analogue testing.

Centred around the Integrated Space and Exploration Technologies Laboratory (I-SET), the cluster has access to advanced facilities including an air-bearing platform, Helmholtz coil system, vacuum chamber, cleanroom space, and 3D printing. A newly installed ESA-funded space environment chamber enables critical research on rocket plume-regolith interaction for lunar, Mars, and asteroid exploration.

This cluster connects interdisciplinary research across the James Watt School of Engineering and welcomes collaboration with academic, commercial, and space agency partners.