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MATLAB Simulink App for Attitude Control Schemes Comparison | Suryansh Aryan posted on the topic | LinkedIn
One of the biggest assets an #ADCS engineer can have is an all-purpose simulation tool that can support distinct scenarios and compare various control law performances while still having a flexibility to tune the #simulation setup, dynamics and controller gains. This has motivated me to professionally design a MATLAB/Simulink application specifically comparing three attitude control schemes under four distinct scenarios while a chaser rendezvous with the ISS. The attitude is modelled with quaternion kinematics and rigid-body dynamics with reaction-wheel actuation and it’s gyroscopic coupling. Direction-cosine transformations move vectors between inertial, body and reference frames, and the error quaternion is split into pointing error and twist about the docking axis. The selected controllers for the comparison are, a robust sliding-mode law, an adaptive sliding-mode law with inertia estimator (with parameter projection and anti-windup), and a quaternion PD baseline controller. It has two interchangeable simulation engines: a generated Simulink model (default), and a built-in fixed-step RK4 MATLAB reference engine, both agreeing to about 1e-11 degrees on the deterministic cases. The Simulink model is auto-generated by scripts, therefore capable of build reproducibility. A test suite of 9 automated tests passes, and a smoke test runs every scenario across all three controllers: 20 of 21 runs pass with identical verdicts on both engines. A year ago for my research projects, I had designed these necessary MATLAB functions and Simulink block diagrams for both adaptive SMC and PD controllers for a typical co-planer along-track LEO rendezvous with exponential and sinusoidal docking axis approach profile. However, while designing the MATLAB app, formalizing my codebase to be distribution-ready and easily accessible to already existing #LLM agents turned out to be strenuous. In a separate project I have been optimizing a research & development agentic workflow as a self-sufficient orchestrator that can understand a pre-existing project and suggest/implement format checks, test suites and script/project-level documentation. With the help of that, I defined the project-level rules, guardrail hooks for #MCPs and a context-management scheme (a project guide, a versioned notes file and quality-checked external sources) so it could understand the whole project and retain relevant memory. One unique capability of this project is its mis-wire checks and repairing tools that an agent can always leverage in an agentic coding setup. Although the app is designed to integrate with any LLM agent, it still relies on certain skills I would deploy soon. As I’m ramping up my developer journey and getting comfortable with agentic development, I’m open to valuable feedback from folks already leveled with production expertise in the industry. Link to my codebase - https://lnkd.in/em6E46kZ #ControlSystems #GNC #Aerospace #MATLAB #Simulink #ClaudeCode #AgenticCoding
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#satellitetracking #aerospaceengineering #softwareengineering #python #devops | Suryansh Aryan
I spent the past few weeks building satellite-pass-app, a Python tool that tracks when specific satellites are visible from a ground location, using live TLE/positional data. Beyond the very simple core logic (config-driven via YAML, three output modes — terminal, file, HTTP server), I treated this as a chance to practice my software engineering skills that matters as much as the feature itself: • Full test suite (pytest) covering config parsing, providers, and output handlers • Type checking with mypy + linting/formatting enforced via ruff (centralized in pyproject.toml) • CI pipeline on every push/PR — lint → format check → type check → tests → production image build → container smoke test • Multi-stage Dockerfile: a dev image with full tooling and test execution baked into the build, and a hardened, non-root production image • docker-compose orchestration to run dev and prod environments side by side It's a small side-project and none of this was required to make the core feature work, but the goal was to build it the way I'd want a satellite-ops tool built: reproducible, tested, and safe to hand off to someone else without a walkthrough. My next efforts are to eliminate the app's reliance on live third-party API calls by importing TLE data directly and propagating with SGP4, closer to how real tracking systems handle intermittent connectivity. If you work anywhere near satellite ops or mission software, I'd love to hear feedbacks towards the software approach. Repo: https://lnkd.in/ed3gMzMG #SatelliteTracking #AerospaceEngineering #SoftwareEngineering #Python #DevOps
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#wsri26 #wolfram #sitnikov | Suryansh Aryan
Last week, I finished a time-intensive project in the Wolfram Summer Research Institute (#WSRI26) titled “Inverting the Sitnikov Problem.” It was a unique effort in exploring the computational approaches in inverting a restricted version of the three-body problem using the #Wolfram language. I am incredibly grateful to my mentors, Pavel Hájek and Jesús Adrián Montesinos Correa, for their constant guidance, late-night discussions, and support throughout the program. The #Sitnikov problem is a classic example of the emergent chaotic dynamics of a particle under the gravitational influence of two orbiting primary bodies. While traditional research on the problem has identified initial condition sensitivity and invariances in the phase space, my project focused on inverting the Sitnikov theorem (https://lnkd.in/gjBbu9wT): determining computable initial conditions for a desired dynamical behavior. By using concepts from symbolic dynamics, partitioning discrete phase space, and finite-time Lyapunov exponent analysis, this project developed a database for over 1 million sample points and built the inverting technique to identify initial conditions associated with prescribed crossing sequences in the chaotic Sitnikov system. Find my computational essay here: https://lnkd.in/gHW44btg I would like to sincerely thank all the mentors, organizers, and Wolfram staff for some of the most amazing theoretical concepts I learned from countless lectures and workshops, making this program such a rewarding experience. Special thanks to Stephanie Bowyer for creating an environment that encouraged collaboration, learning, and exploration, and to Stephen Wolfram for supporting initiatives that bring together researchers around the world to tackle interesting computational problems. I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this community and for everything I learned throughout the program.
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#aerospace #selenonet #lunanet #graduated #virginiatech #vthokies #aerospaceengineering #spacesystems #lunarexploration #delaytolerantnetworking #navigationsystems | Suryansh Aryan | 11 comments
I am grateful to share that I have officially graduated with a Master of Science in #Aerospace Engineering from Virginia Tech. These past three years have been an incredible experience, allowing me to engage with a wide range of research challenges while working alongside outstanding teams. This journey would not have been possible without the guidance and support of my advisor, Dr. Samantha Parry Kenyon, Ph.D. ; my co-advisor, Dr. Riley Fitzgerald; and my committee members, Dr. Shane Ross and Ms. Cheryl Gramling. They have been the constant supporters of my research on LunaNet-compliant lunar communication and navigation architecture designs, a topic that is still in its early stages of development within the field. This work represents a preliminary effort toward answering an important question: What quality-of-service (QoS) margins are required for a reliable lunar communication and positioning system? Such infrastructure may eventually become as essential to the Moon as GPS and the internet are to life on Earth today. As part of this research, I developed #SelenoNet, a high-fidelity, data-driven simulation framework for evaluating future lunar communication and navigation architectures based on the #LunaNet concept being developed primarily by NASA, ESA, and JAXA. This framework integrates high-fidelity orbital dynamics, signal modeling, delay-tolerant networking, and navigation modeling to assess how future lunar infrastructure can remain reliable, scalable, and fault-tolerant for both surface assets and orbiting spacecraft. Following the ongoing code refactoring and documentation efforts, the current plan is to release SelenoNet Version 1 as an open-access tool for both industry and academia before next year. I'm also honored that my thesis was nominated amongst the top 10 best graduate research recognized across the college of engineering, as part of the 2026 Paul E. Torgersen Research Excellence Award (https://lnkd.in/emZEgX9t)! As I begin the next chapter of my career, I am actively seeking opportunities in space systems modeling and simulation, and navigation positions to continue pursuing my interest in developing system-level physics engines for aerospace dynamical systems. While different roles have different requirements, I am open to relocation for full-time positions and DO NOT require work sponsorship, for any. I would be excited to connect with researchers and industry leaders working on similar challenges related to the future of space exploration. I look forward to exchanging ideas contributing to technologies that will help shape humanity's return to the Moon and beyond. Please feel free to reach out and connect with me! Masters Thesis: https://lnkd.in/gGAYCR5h Personal website: https://xploror.github.io/ GitHub: https://github.com/Xploror #graduated #VirginiaTech #VThokies #AerospaceEngineering #SpaceSystems #LunarExploration #DelayTolerantNetworking #NavigationSystems | 11 comments on LinkedIn
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Virginia Tech presents SpaceNet at SmallSat Conference | Suryansh Aryan posted on the topic | LinkedIn
This week at the Small Satellite Conference (SmallSat), Salt Lake City, Utah, I will be presenting on the latest capabilities and findings from Virginia Tech's LEO space network emulator called SpaceNet. It serves as a digital twin, simulating delay-tolerant networks for LEO mega-constellations like #Starlink, #Kuiper, and #Iridium, while capable of incorporating link budgets for custom terrestrial device types and satellite comm modules. Its unique two-phase simulation-emulation architecture allows enhanced scalability and resource management without compromising the high fidelity of the entire digital system. To all SmallSat attendees at the conference, please do visit booth E8 in the poster section for further details on our project or to just connect with us. We are also open to collaborating with people in satellite communication fields and get in-touch with emerging small satellite communication technologies that could enhance our digital emulation performance. Explore our Github codebase: https://lnkd.in/epnRAzum Poster access: https://lnkd.in/e86k4UHn #smallsat2025 #spacetech #digitaltwin #networkemulation #SpaceNet