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About

Dr. S. K. Sharma is a leading researcher in spacecraft autonomy and remote sensing, with a focus on enabling critical space operations through machine learning. His most impactful work centers on **pose estimation for non-cooperative spacecraft**—a key challenge for autonomous rendezvous, debris removal, and on-orbit servicing. Sharma introduced the Spacecraft Pose Network (SPN), the first neural network-based method to estimate the relative position and attitude of a known non-cooperative spacecraft using monocular vision. This breakthrough, detailed in his highly cited 2020 paper (174 citations), offers a robust, on-board alternative to traditional algorithms, significantly advancing the safety and autonomy of future space missions. Beyond orbital mechanics, Sharma contributed to the **SuperCam instrument suite** for NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, a project aimed at characterizing Martian geology and searching for ancient habitable environments. His work on SuperCam (26 citations) demonstrates his versatility in both deep-space and Earth-orbital applications. With a growing citation impact and pioneering contributions to AI-driven spacecraft navigation, Sharma is shaping the next generation of autonomous space exploration.