▲ Inha University research team: Master's student Jiwoo Choi (left), integrated master's and doctoral student DOHOON, and Professor Jonghan Kim
Inha University announced today (October 29) that a research team led by Professor Jonghan Kim of the Department of Aerospace Engineering has been selected for the Best Paper Award by the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) Technical Committee of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) for their research on spacecraft landing guidance utilizing artificial intelligence (AI).
Inha University explained that this marks the first time that research solely conducted by a domestic institution, without joint research with overseas institutions, has been chosen as a best paper by an AIAA technical committee.
The research team proposed a technology that rapidly calculates landing trajectories for space launch vehicles as well as lunar and Martian exploration probes by combining AI neural networks with optimization theory.
In particular, they developed an optimization technique that replaces nonlinear projection operations—a core element required for trajectory calculation—with AI neural networks.
Through this, the research team demonstrated the possibility of quickly and accurately calculating "six-degrees-of-freedom" (6-DOF) landing trajectories even on onboard computers with limited computational capabilities.
Six degrees of freedom means the ability to move in a total of six ways, combining three translational movements (forward/backward, left/right, up/down) and three rotational movements around three axes in space.
This research is expected to be utilized for the vertical landing of reusable space launch vehicles and the precision landing of lunar and Martian exploration probes.
The award ceremony will take place in January next year at the AIAA SciTech Forum, an international aerospace conference held in the United States.
(Photo courtesy of Inha University, Yonhap News)
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