THESIS PROJECT
Trajectory Optimisation for Long-Range Proximity Operations

Project Description

About
At Vinterstellar, we design tools and strategies for the future of satellite operations. We’re now offering a Master Thesis project at the frontier of orbital mechanics and trajectory optimization — investigating how reference path design can reduce fuel cost in long-range proximity operations.

Thesis Objective
Classical glideslope guidance was developed for terminal rendezvous at separations of tens to hundreds of meters. Our orbit dynamics team has extended a multi-impulse HCW glideslope optimizer out to initial separations on the order of 100 km. At these ranges the ΔV landscape is strongly anisotropic, which means the reference path is no longer a neutral boundary condition but a first-order driver of cost. The thesis treats the reference path as a design variable — generalising the straight line to a smooth curve inside a tolerance tube — and asks which families of curved corridors are worth their ΔV under realistic operational constraints. The deliverable is not a single “cheapest” trajectory but a structured trade study across corridor families, each of which serves a different operational objective at a different cost.

What You’ll Gain

  • Deep expertise in relative orbital motion, constrained trajectory optimization, and proximity operations
  • Experience extending and working within a real engineering codebase used for mission analysis
  • Exposure to operational constraints drawn from actual space mission scenarios

Scope for a publishable contribution if you are interested Direct collaboration with the Vinterstellar orbit dynamics and space systems engineering team

You will work on:

  • Solver Generalisation: Extend the existing optimizer from rectilinear glideslopes to smooth reference paths with tube constraints, including time-varying geometries handled via quasi-static replanning
  • Corridor Catalogue: Identify and characterise candidate corridor families — solar exclusion zones, Earth-shadow transits, natural-motion-mimicking trajectories, friendly-asset line-of-sight maintenance, sensor coverage gaps, and others — together with the operational objective each one encodes
  • Benchmarking: Establish a structured comparison between approach strategies, with explicit sensitivity analysis to modelling assumptions
  • Assessment: Deliver a ranked, justified evaluation of the corridor design space¨

Location & Collaboration

  • Work closely with the Vinterstellar orbit dynamics and space systems engineering team

  • Duration: ~5 months (thesis project)
    Flexible setup (remote or hybrid with touchpoints in Sweden)

How to Apply

Send your CV, transcript, and a short motivation letter to: career@vinterstellar.se

Applications reviewed continuously

Who Should Apply?

We’re looking for motivated master’s students in:
– Aerospace Engineering (with focus on astrodynamics or orbital mechanics)
– Engineering Physics, Applied Mathematics, or similar fields
Computer Science with a strong background in optimization

An ideal candidate has a solid foundation in CW/HCW relative motion theory, fluency in constrained nonlinear optimization, and strong Python skills. Familiarity with Tschauner-Hempel dynamics, Lambert targeting, or differential games is a plus. We are looking for someone who engages critically with the problem formulation rather than treating it as a fixed specification.