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About

Andrea Pisculli is a leading researcher in the field of space robotics and orbital mechanics, with a primary focus on the complex dynamics and control of flexible, multi-body space systems. His work is pivotal for advancing on-orbit servicing (OOS) and active debris removal (ADR), addressing the critical challenge of safely interacting with uncooperative objects in space. Pisculli’s major contributions include pioneering the modeling of dynamic and control interactions during critical maneuvers such as grasping, docking, and post-docking operations between a flexible orbiting robot and its target. He has also developed innovative designs for robotic manipulators specifically intended for the orbit removal of spent launcher stages, and introduced a minimum state multibody/finite element method (FEM) approach for accurately simulating these highly nonlinear systems. His research on adaptive thrust vector control during the final propulsive phase of OOS missions is particularly notable for enabling a chaser spacecraft to safely de-orbit a captured debris object. With his most cited paper, “Dynamic/control interactions between flexible orbiting space-robot during grasping, docking and post-docking manoeuvres,” accumulating 53 citations, Pisculli’s work provides foundational knowledge for the next generation of autonomous space robots, directly supporting the sustainability of space operations.