DLR researcher Marco Sagliano from the Institute of Space Systems in Bremen has been awarded the ERC Consolidator Grant by the European Research Council for his STARGATE project.
DLR researcher Dr. Marco Sagliano from the DLR Institute of Space Systems in Bremen has been awarded the ERC Consolidator Grant by the European Research Council for his project STARGATE (STochastic Algorithm for Robust Guidance Analysis and Trajectory Estimation).
Focus areas: Space travel, autonomous systems
In the future, planetary landers, satellites and robots will move more and more autonomously in space. Despite difficult conditions, such as the unknown gravitational field or the atmosphere of celestial bodies, they will have to complete their missions safely. Dr. Marco Sagliano from the DLR Institute of Space Systems was awarded the ERC Consolidator Grant for his STARGATE software on 3 December 2024. STARGATE's methods take uncertainties and external interference factors into account from the outset when calculating trajectories.
Uncertainties that are difficult to calculate during a flight with space transportation systems are, for example, the weight of spacecraft. This depends on the fuel remaining in the tank. An external disruptive factor could be the weather on planets. Both on Mars and on Earth, the weather is not always predictable. Marco Sagliano already took such influences into account when designing STARGATE. Subsequent tests of possible trajectories are therefore less time-consuming. This will make future missions even more reliable and robust, but also more cost-effective.
The ERC Consolidator Grant
The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the award of 327 Consolidator Grants to top researchers across Europe. The grants - totaling almost 678 million euros - support cutting-edge research in a variety of fields. They will help researchers at the start of their careers to launch their own projects, build their teams and pursue their most promising ideas.
