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Kenshiro (Ken) Oguri, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor (January 2022-) [Page]

Research Website

School of Aeronautics and Astronautics
College of Engineering
Purdue University

E-mail: koguri {at} purdue.edu

 

Research Interests

  • Academic fields of interest: Astrodynamics; Control; Estimation; Optimization; Dynamical systems; Stochastic systems; Space science
  • Current Research: Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC); Space trajectory optimization; Safety-critical space mission design; Small-body exploration; SmallSat mission design; Stochastic optimal control

Recent News

News in 2021
  • Aug 2021: Started working as a postdoctoral fellow at NASA JPL! I will be working on developing trajectory optimization methods for robust space trajectory design under uncertainty through Dec 2021, then transition to the Assistant Professor position at Purdue University in Jan 2022.
  • Aug 2021: Two journal papers are accepted for publication in AIAA JGCD! “Stochastic Primer Vector for Robust Low-thrust Trajectory Design under Uncertainty“ by K. Oguri and J. W. McMahon; and “Solar Sailing Primer Vector Theory: Indirect Trajectory Optimization with Practical Mission Considerations“ by K. Oguri, G. Lantoine, and J. W. McMahon. The second paper is mainly based on the work I performed at NASA JPL in 2019, in collaboration with the NEA Scout solar sail project.
  • Apr 2021: Accepted an offer for an Assistant Professor in Astrodynamics and Space Applications at Purdue University School of Aeronautics and Astronautics! I will launch my research group at Purdue AAE starting Spring 2022 and will take part in the Purdue Cislunar Space Initiative.
    Please send me an email with your CV and future research interest if you are interested in our group, passionate about space exploration, and enjoy Math and Physics.
  • Apr 2021: A journal paper is published online in AIAA JGCD (Link)! “Robust Spacecraft Guidance around Small Bodies under Uncertainty: Stochastic Optimal Control Approach” by K. Oguri and J. W. McMahon.
  • Mar 2021: Defended my dissertation! The dissertation is titled “Risk-aware Mission Design around Small Celestial Bodies,” approved by the committee: Jay McMahon (CU Aerospace), Dan Scheeres (CU Aerospace), Nisar Ahmed (CU Aerospace), Stephen Becker (CU Applied Math), and Gregory Lantoine (NASA/JPL). I’m so grateful to everyone who guided me and supported me over these 3.5 years during my Ph.D.!
  • Mar 2021: Presented my paper at 2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference (Virtual). The paper title is “Risk-aware Mission Design for In situ Asteroid Exploration under Uncertainty” by K. Oguri and J. W. McMahon
  • Jan 2021: submitted a journal paper to AIAA JGCD! The paper title is “Stochastic Primer Vector for Robust Low-thrust Trajectory Design under Uncertainty“ by K. Oguri and J. W. McMahon. By merging techniques from the fields of stochastic systems, astrodynamics, and constrained nonlinear optimal control theory, the paper extends Lawden’s primer vector theory to incorporate probabilistic path constraints under state uncertainty, enabling robust space trajectory optimization under uncertainty.
News in 2020
  • Dec 2020: My paper accepted for publication in AIAA JGCD! The paper title is “Robust Spacecraft Guidance around Small Bodies under Uncertainty: Stochastic Optimal Control Approach” by K. Oguri and J. W. McMahon.
  • Nov 2020: My paper accepted for presentation at 2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference! The paper title is “Risk-aware Mission Design for In situ Asteroid Exploration under Uncertainty” by K. Oguri and J. W. McMahon
  • Oct 2020: My paper published in CMDA! The paper on my work at JPL (Summer 2018) “Science orbit design with a quasi-frozen beta angle: effects of body obliquity on J2-perturbed dynamics,” by K. Oguri, G. Lantoine, W. Hart, and J. McMahon, is published in Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy (DOI: 10.1007/s10569-020-09987-z; Link). The paper analyzes highly perturbed dynamical environments around celestial bodies with large body obliquities (angle between rotation pole and heliocentric orbit) by using averaged Lagrange planetary equations, and applies the analysis results to the NASA’s Discovery Program Psyche mission.
  • Aug 2020: presented a paper at AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference (virtual conference). Paper title: “Stochastic Primer Vector for Robust Impulsive Trajectory Design under Uncertainty” by Kenshiro Oguri and Jay McMahon
  • July 2020: submitted an abstract to IEEE Aerospace Conference at Big Sky, MT in March 2021: accepted for presentation
  • May 2020: submitted an extended abstract to AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference at South Lake Tahoe, CA (changed to a virtual conference) in August 2020: accepted for presentation
  • February 2020: my paper entitled “Autonomous Guidance for Robust Achievement of  Science Observations around Small Bodies” awarded the student paper competition second prize at 2020 AAS Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) conference
  • February 2020: presented a paper at AAS Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) conference at Breckenridge, CO. Paper title: “Autonomous Guidance for Robust Achievement of  Science Observations around Small Bodies,” by Kenshiro Oguri and Jay McMahon
  • January 2020: my paper “EQUULEUS Trajectory Design,” by K. Oguri, K. Oshima, S. Campagnola, K. Kakihara, N. Ozaki, N. Baresi, Y. Kawakatsu, and R. Funase, is published in The Journal of the Astronautical Sciences (DOI: 10.1007/s40295-019-00206-y; Link). The paper develops a systematic trajectory design method for low-energy transfers to quasi-halo orbits at an Earth-Moon Lagrange point & science orbit maintenance analysis, for EQUULEUS mission (see my research page for more detail on the EQUULEUS project).
News in 2019
  • December 2019: presented a paper at 58th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) at Nice, France. Paper title: “Convex Optimization over Sequential Linear Feedback Policies with Continuous-time Chance Constraints,” by Kenshiro Oguri, Masahiro Ono (NASA/JPL-Caltech), and Jay McMahon (CU).
  • November 2019: my paper “Solar Radiation Pressure-Based Orbit Control with Application to Small-Body Landing” is published in AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics (DOI: 10.2514/1.G004489; Link)
  • September-November 2019: worked on the development of solar sailing trajectory design techniques for NEA Scout mission (Link) at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a visiting student researcher. Group: Outer planet mission analysis, Mentors: Dr. Gregory Lantoine & Dr. Jon Sims.
  • August 2019: passed the comprehensive exam (Ph.D. research proposal exam). Now I’m a Ph.D. candidate:) Ph.D. thesis committee: Prof. Jay McMahon (aerospace; committee chair), Prof. Dan Scheeres (aerospace), Prof. Nisar Ahmed (aerospace), Prof. Stephen Becker (Applied math), Dr. Gregory Lantoine (NASA/JPL-Caltech).
  • August 2019: presented two papers at AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference at Portland, ME. Paper title: “Risk-aware Trajectory Design with Continuous Thrust: Primer Vector Theory Approach”; “Risk-aware Trajectory Design with Impulsive Maneuvers: Convex Optimization Approach.”
  • July 2019: my paper is accepted for presentation at 2019 IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC)! Excited to present my work at IEEE CDC, one of the most competitive control conferences! “Convex Optimization over Sequential Linear Feedback Policies with Continuous-time Chance Constraints“, Kenshiro Oguri, Masahiro Ono (NASA/JPL-Caltech), and Jay McMahon (CU).
  • June 2019: presented a paper at 32nd International Symposium on Space Technology and Science (ISTS), Fukui, Japan. Paper title: “SRP-based Orbit Control for Asteroid Exploration.“
  • May 2019: completed Spring 2019 semester at CU Boulder. Course: Probabilistic Algorithms for Aerospace Autonomy by Prof. Nisar Ahmed. Finished all coursework necessary for Ph.D.
  • April 2019: submitted two extended abstracts to AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference at Portland, ME in August 2019.
  • March 2019: submitted a paper to IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) at Nice, France in December 2019.
  • January 2019: “The Bahls Endowed Funds — Travel Award” from Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research awarded for a paper “Science Orbit Design with Frozen Beta Angle: Theory and Application to Psyche mission”
  • January 2019: presented two papers at AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting at Ka’anapali, HI.
    Paper titles: “Science Orbit Design with Frozen Beta Angle: Theory and Application to Psyche mission”; “SRP-based Orbit Control with Application to Orbit Stationkeeping at Small Bodies.”
News in 2018
  • December 2018: completed Fall 2018 semester at CU Boulder. Courses: Advanced Topics in Convex Optimization by Prof. Stephen Becker (applied math department); Space Vehicle Guidance and Control by Prof. J. McMahon.
  • November 2018: submitted an abstract to 32nd International Symposium on Space Technology and Science at Fukui, JPN in June 2019.
  • September 2018: defended the Preliminary exam. Now I’m a Ph.D. pre-candidate:)
  • September 2018: submitted two extended abstracts to AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics meetings at Maui, HI in January 2019.
  • August 2018: “John V. Breakwell student award” from AAS Space Flight Mechanics Committee awarded for a paper “SRP-based Orbit Control with Application to Small Body Landing”
  • August 2018: presented a paper at AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference at Snowbird, UT. Paper title: “SRP-based Orbit Control with Application to Small Body Landing”
  • June-August 2018: worked on science orbit design for the Psyche mission (Link) at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a visiting student researcher. Group: Outer planet mission analysis, Mentors: Dr. Gregory Lantoine & Dr. Jon Sims.
  • May 2018: completed Spring 2018 semester at CU Boulder. Courses: Statistical Orbit Determination by Prof. Jay McMahon; Interplanetary Mission Design by Dr. Kate Devis.
  • April 2018: submitted an extended abstract to AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference at Snowbird, UT in August 2018.
  • March 2018: NIAC 2017 “Dismantling Rubble Pile Asteroids with AoES (Area-of-Effect Soft-bots)”, a project I’ve been working on since August 2017, is awarded Phase II study funding! (Link) Supported by NASA Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) program. PI: Jay McMahon.
News in 2017
  • December 2017: completed Fall 2017 semester at CU Boulder. Courses: Celestial Mechanics by Prof. Dan Scheeres; Statistical Estimation for Dynamical Systems by Prof. Nisar Ahmed.
  • August 2017: started my Ph.D. study & working as a graduate research assistant at CCAR, Ann and H.J. Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences,  CU Boulder. *CCAR: Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research
  • August 2017: attended 31st Small Satellite Conference at Logan, UT, as a co-author of a presentation “EQUULEUS: Mission to Earth-Moon Lagrange Point by a 6U Deep Space CubeSat”
  • July 2017: attended a summer session at UC Berkeley for three weeks.
  • June 2017: attended 9th International Workshop on Satellite Constellations and Formation Flying at Boulder, CO.
  • June 2017: presented my research at 26th International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics at Ehime, Japan. Paper title: “Mission Analysis of EQUULEUS: Design of the Science Orbit Phase”
  • April 2017: started working as a JSPS DC1 research fellow at the University of Tokyo (until August 2017). *JSPS: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
  • March 2017: completed the M.S. degree in aerospace engineering at the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the University of Tokyo.
  • January 2017: presented my research at the 4th International Symposium on Solar Sailing at Kyoto, Japan. Paper title: “Precision Evaluation of Reduced Dynamics Model for Non-uniform Spinning Solar Sail Driven by Reflectivity Control”

 

Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars.
– Carl Sagan, Cosmos