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About

Sepideh Faghihi is a pioneering researcher in autonomous space operations, focusing on the critical challenges of on-orbit servicing, inspection, and assembly. Her work addresses the complex motion planning and coordination problems that underpin next-generation space exploration missions. Faghihi’s key contributions include developing novel algorithms for full-coverage inspection of large space structures, as demonstrated in her highly cited 2022 paper (27 citations) on multiple spacecraft coordination. She has advanced kinodynamic path planning for close-proximity inspection (17 citations) and introduced optimal pose design strategies to enable complete target observation—a fundamental requirement for initiating on-orbit servicing. Her recent work on autonomous assembly leverages reinforcement-learning-based continuation strategies to solve the notoriously sensitive optimal control problems inherent in space construction. Faghihi has also tackled the challenging non-convex, non-differentiable collision avoidance constraints in optimization-based motion planning, proposing a novel convex optimization technique. With a growing body of work published between 2022 and 2025, her research is shaping the autonomous capabilities needed for long-term space colonization and exploration.