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Francesco Cavenago is a robotics researcher specializing in space robotics, with a particular focus on the control and safety of free-flying orbital robots and flexible manipulators. His work addresses the critical challenge of unexpected contact handling in space environments, where collisions can lead to catastrophic instability. Cavenago developed a nonlinear observer for collision detection, isolation, and estimation, paired with a reaction control strategy to mitigate contact forces—a contribution that has garnered attention with 9 citations. He also made significant strides in modelling and validating the ESA space manipulator DELIAN, accounting for joint and link flexibility, and identifying structural parameters through real-robot experiments (8 citations). His research extends to contact force estimation using centroidal-joints dynamics, offering a novel formulation for space robots (7 citations), and to gait control for planetary hexapod robots via Virtual Model Control. With a growing citation record across his most-cited works, Cavenago’s contributions are pivotal for advancing autonomous operations in space, enhancing the robustness and safety of robotic systems in orbital and planetary missions.