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About

Michele Grassi is a leading aerospace engineer whose research confronts one of the most pressing challenges in spaceflight: the growing threat of orbital debris. His work centers on active debris removal (ADR) and in-orbit servicing (IOS), pioneering technical strategies to capture, deorbit, or repurpose defunct spacecraft. Grassi’s most influential contribution, “Active space debris removal by a hybrid propulsion module” (2013, 75 citations), proposes a dedicated hybrid engine system for rendezvous and controlled deorbiting—a concept that has become foundational in debris mitigation studies. He further advanced this theme in a 2012 paper (14 citations), which quantified the staggering accumulation of over 7,000 metric tons of artificial mass in orbit, with 97% of LEO debris concentrated in roughly 4,500 intact objects. Beyond propulsion, Grassi developed a novel star tracker using a multi-purpose panoramic camera (2017, 22 citations) for robust satellite attitude determination. His recent work (2021, 5 citations) integrates combined control and navigation algorithms for the robotic capture of space vehicles, directly enabling future IOS and ADR missions. Through these contributions, Grassi has shaped both the technical architecture and the strategic urgency of space sustainability, making him a key voice in the effort to preserve Earth’s orbital environment.