Astrodynamics, space Robotics, and Controls Laboratory (ARCLab)
The Astrodynamics, space Robotics, and Controls Laboratory (ARCLab) is Prof. Richard Linares’ research group, which is part of the Space Systems Laboratory (SSL) in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. Richard Linares’ research group, ARCLab, focuses on the following research areas
- Astrodynamics,
- Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management,
- Satellite Guidance and Navigation,
- Estimation and Controls,
- Reinforcement Learning,
- Optimal Control.
We welcome interest from exceptional graduate students enthusiastic about space exploration and astrodynamics. Students admitted to AeroAstro, EECS, MechE, or Physics please contact Prof. Linares. For all questions about MIT graduate admissions, please contact the department coordinator Beth Marois, bethamar (at) mit.edu.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
77 Massachusetts Avenue :: 33-328 :: Cambridge MA 02139 US
Selected Awards
Prof. Linares is the director of the ARCLab and following are some of his awards and honors.
AFOSR Young Investigator Award
Richard Linares is a recipient of the AFOSR Young Investigator Research Program Award in 2018.
Director’s Postdoctoral Fellow, LANL
A highly prestigious postdoctoral position at one of the US’s most esteemed national labs.
Senior Member AIAA
The distinction of Senior Member is conferred by AIAA upon outstanding members of the Institute who have “demonstrated successful professional practice in the arts, sciences, or technology of aeronautics or astronautics.”
Selected Publications
The ARCLab conducts research in astrodynamics, spaceflight mechanics, and space traffic management. Here is a select list of recent publications from the ARCLab.
Selection Publication
- Mehta, P.M., Linares, R. “A new transformative framework for data assimilation and calibration of physical ionosphere‐thermosphere models, ” AGU space weather, Space Weather, 2018
- Gaudet B, Linares R, Furfaro R. “Deep Reinforcement Learning for Six Degree-of-Freedom Planetary Powered Descent and Landing,” arXiv preprint arXiv:1810.08719. 2018 Oct 20.
- Doerr B, Linares R, Zhu P, Ferrari S. “Random Finite Set Theory and Optimal Control for Large Spacecraft Swarms,” arXiv preprint arXiv:1810.00696. 2018 Oct 1
Research Projects
Learn more about the ongoing research projects in the ARCLab.