Chronological (reverse) list of projects
      CO:=coordinator (leader of multi-team project)
      PI  :=Principal Investigator (PI* indicates PI of organization in a multi-team project)
      ### funding obtained as proposal lead of project or organization.

At University of Bristol (since October 2013, about 1.6M€ in external funding as PI)
  1. Dec 2018. "Enhanced Techniques for AOCS GNC functional verification (AOCS-EV)". PI*. ESA-ESTEC TRP
  2. Dec 2018. "Integrated Multi-Actuator CONtrol System for Payloads LoS and Satellite Attitude Pointing (MACON)". PI. Airbus-Friedrichshafen (DE)
  3. Sept 2017. "Resilient Descent & Landing Design and Analysis for Spacecraft Exploration (PHOBOS-D&L)". PI. EPSRC DTP award
  4. Feb 2017. "Advanced Flight Control System Design With Active Load & Relief Capabilities (TAILOR)". PI*. DLR-Bremen (ESA-ESTEC NPI) + EPSRC DTP
  5. April 2016. "Robust and Nonlinear Guidance and Control for Landing on Small Bodies (NTSP-2)". PI*. CEOI-ST / UK Space Agency
  6. Sept 2015. "Validation Integrated Safety-Enhanced Intelligent Flight Control (VISION)". PI*. Total Consortium: 3,621,630€. EU H2020
  7. Aug 2015. "Analytic Stochastic & Time Varying Mu Analysis for the VEGA GNC (VVprob-II)". PI. ESA-ESTEC Expro
  8. Jun 2015. "Robust & Adaptable Launcher TVC Control for VEGA Evolution (VEGAdapt)". PI. ESA-ESTEC NPI + EPSRC DTP
  9. Jun 2015. "Flutter Free Flight Envelope Expansion for Economical Performance Improvement (FLEXOP)". PI*. Total Consortium: 6,692,164€. EU H2020
  10. Jun 2014. "Analytic Stochastic & Time Varying Mu Analysis for the VEGA GNC (VVprob)". PI. ESA-ESTEC Expro

Before joining the University of Bristol (from January 2006 to August 2013)
  1. Sept 2012. "Reconfiguration of Control in Flight for Integral Global Upset Recovery (RECONFIGURE)". CO. Total: 5,579,613€. EU FP7 Aeronautics
  2. Jan 2012. “Workshop on Industrial and Academic Experience in Aerospace Fault Detection and Diagnosis”. PI. Total: $28,000. IEEE CSS Outreach Fund
  3. Dec 2011. "UAV Based Space Technology Investigation (PERIGEO)". Total: 18,000,000€ (CO of WP2: 4,000,000€). CDTI
  4. Jun 2010. "Robust Flight Control System Design Verification & Validation Framework (RFCS)". CO. Total: 450,000€. ESA-ESTEC TRP
  5. Jul 2009. "Main Stage Propulsion Technology, Period 2, Health Monitoring System Activities (SCORE-FDI)". PI. Total: 100,000€. ESA FLPP
  6. Feb 2009. "Main Stage Propulsion Technology,  Health Monitoring System Activities (HTE-HMS)". PI. Total: 90,000€. ESA FLPP
  7. Feb 2009. "Advanced Re-entry Flying Qualities Analysis Framework (FQFW)". Total: 350,000€. (proposal PI* for WP : 150,000€). ESA-ESTEC TRP
  8. Oct 2008. "Advanced Fault Diagnosis for Sustainale Flight Guidance And Control (ADDSAFE)". CO. Total: 3,662,624€. EU FP7 Aeronautics
  9. May 2008. "Modern Control Techniques Applied to Satellite FDIR (SATFDI)". PI*. Total: 350,000€ (Deimos: 100,000€). ESA-ESTEC TRP
  10. May 2007. "Linear Parameter Varying Modeling, Analysis and Design (LPVMAD)". CO. Total: 300,000€ . ESA-ESTEC TRP
Projects descriptions (at University of Bristol)

RECONFIGURE [Jan 2013 - Jun 2016]   COMPLETED
"RECONFIGURATION OF CONTROL IN FLIGHT FOR INTEGRAL GLOBAL UPSET RECOVER"

A European FP7 aeronautics CP-FP project with the aim of increasing the Technological Readiness Level (TRL) of model-based fault estimation and fault tolerant control schemes for commercial aircraft. 

Dr. Marcos was the project coordinator until his departure from Deimos Space. At the University of Bristol, the TASC group focuses on development of fault tolerant control (FTC) techniques based on H-infinity for C* control laws.

V&Vprob [Jun 2014 - Dec 2015]  COMPLETED
"ANALYTIC STOCHASTIC & TIME VARYING MU ANALYSIS FOR THE VEGA GNC" 

ESA-ESTEC funded project with the objectives to:
  • Study advanced probabilistic and time varying analysis methods, based on structured singular value (mu), and evaluate their maturity through application to a high-fidelity simulator of the European VEGA launcher;
  • Design advanced robust controllers for VEGA mission vv05 and compared them with the classical controller flown in that mission.

FLEXOP [Jun 2015 - Nov 2019]
"FLUTTER FREE FLIGHT ENVELOPE EXPANSION FOR ECONOMICAL PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT"

A European H2020 aeronautics project with the goal of developing and validating flutter and aeroelastic-tailoring wing technologies for the flexible aircraft of tomorrow. The validation will be performed using a specially designed and built UAV testing platform.

The TASC group is leader of WP2 “Flutter control and analysis technologies” and technically contributes to the development of flutter analysis and control techniques.

VEGAdapt [Jun 2015 - Oct 2019]
"ROBUST & ADAPTABLE LAUNCHER TVC CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR THE VEGA EVOLUTION"

A ESA-ESTEC Network Partnering Initiative (NPI), jointly funded by ESA/UoB/ELV and with additional (fees only) EPSRC funding.

This project investigates advanced (structured h-infinity, linear parameter varying, and adaptive) control techniques for improving the state-of-practice of the VEGA launcher. The focus is on the atmospheric ascent phase.

VISION [Jan 2016 - Aug 2019]  COMPLETED
"VALIDATION INTEGRATED SAFETY-ENHANCED INTELLIGENT FLIGHT CONTROL"

A European H2020 Mobility Growth aeronautics and cooperation project between Europe and Japan to validate smarter technologies for aircraft Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) by combining:
  
   1/ Vision-based systems 
   2/ Advanced detection and resilient methods.

The TASC group contributes to the development and flight testing of fault detection, diagnosis (FDD) and fault tolerant control (FTC).

NTSP-2 [Apr 2016 - Apr 2017]  COMPLETED
"ROBUST NON​LINEAR GUIDANCE AND CONTROL FOR LANDING ON SMALL BODIES"

A UK Space Agency National Space Technology Programme (NSTP-2) Fast Track 2015 collaborative project between Airbus-Stevenage (UK) and TASC.

The aim is to investigate the application of advanced robust control techniques for the design and optimisation of Descent & Landing (D&L) trajectories on small planetary bodies.

​The TASC group is responsible for the control design as well as the tuning and analysis of all the guidance and control developments.
Phobos-D&L [Sept 2017 - Nov 2020]

 "RESILIENT DESCENT & LANDING DESIGN AND ANALYSIS FOR SPACECRAFT EXPLORATION" 
This PhD builds on the NTSP-2 UKSA study but focus on the definition of a guidance and control (G&C) integrated design and analysis framework capable of robustly adapting to nonlinear issues such as degradation and failures

Analytical techniques for modelling and analysis of epistemic and aleatory mission effects (including degradation and malfunctions) will be considered in the pursuit of reconciling the design and the analysis processes. The example of descent and landing on the Martian moon Phobos will be used as both a strategic and archetypal study case –the developed design and analysis methods and tools will be applied to ADS-STV nonlinear, high-fidelity functional engineering simulator (FES) for this mission (which is currently being evaluated as ESA’s next exploration mission).
TAILOR [May 2017 - May 2020]

“ADVANCED FLIGHT CONTROL DESIGN WITH ACTIVE LOAD AND RELIEF CAPABILITIES” 
A ESA-ESTEC Network Partnering Initiative (NPI), jointly funded by DLR/ESA/UoB and with additional (fees-only) EPSRC funding.

The high-level goal of this activity is to develop and validate modeling and (guidance and control) design methods for the management of integrated aero-elastic loads for reusable launch vehicles (RLVs) in atmospheric flight. 

The type of reference mission to be studied at simulation level covers the ascent up to landing for a slender, highly-flexible RLV under high load conditions from external winds, manoeuvres, and coupled flight mechanics with aero-thermo dynamics. 
MACON [January 2019 - December 2022]

“INTEGRATED MULTI-ACTUATOR CONTROL SYSTEM for PAYLOAD LoS and SATELLITE ATTITUDE POINTING” 
Funding from Airbus-Friedrichshafen, Germany (ADS-FDH) for a joint PhD.

The aim of this PhD is to investigate advanced control design techniques and architectures for the Multi-Actuation/Multi-Body spacecraft that will be necessary to fulfill the challenging scientific objectives of future observation missions (characterized by many, small and large, angle slew maneouvers and possibly different on-board payload instruments with a common focusing device).

The ATHENA (http://sci.esa.int/athena/59896-mission-summary/) mission concept architecture developed by ADS-FDH is the selected reference study case as it is a general 12 DoF multi-actuator and multi-body control problem if the bodies are considered rigid. It has reaction wheels and a hexapod as actuators, and it can be modelled as a multi-body system (main body and focusing device) with complex spacecraft body interconnections and disturbances.
AOCS-EV [March 2019 - September 2020]

“ENHANCED TECHNIQUES for AOCS GNC FUNCTIONAL VERIFICATION” 
An ESA-ESTEC Technology Research Project led by SENER (Spain) and participation of TASC and the University of Exeter (UK), with additional support by the University of Stuttgart (Germany).

AOCS Enhanced Verification (AOCS-EV) is a multidisciplinary activity with the aim to enhance future AOCS V&V processes. The ultimate goal of the project is to reduce future missions AOCS Verification and Validaiton (V&V) cost and increase AOCS quality and robustness.

The main objectives of the project are to:
  • Reduce the technological gaps present in current industrial AOCS V&V processes
  • Improve the assessment of robustness and performance
  • Reduce the V&V effort
  • Benchmark classical vs enhanced analysis tools
  • Apply the developed tools to representative ESA derived missions