About The Lab

The Space Systems Engineering Laboratory at Missouri S&T was founded in 2001 with the hiring of Dr. Hank Pernicka to teach and conduct research for the Aerospace Engineering program. Just four years after the lab's founding, the Missouri S&T Research Team (M-SAT), was accepted to the AFRL University Nanosat-4 competition with their pair of MR & MRS SAT microsatellites. The team has since been a frequent participant in the University Nanosatellite Program and placed first in the Nanosat-8 competition. The M-SAT team is participating in a NASA program to launch a 3U CubeSat.

Teamwork on MR SAT

There are many diverse research areas being pursued within the lab including systems engineering, cold gas propulsion systems, power systems, and orbit and attitude determination and control primarily within the scope of small satellites. Students working in the lab have presented papers at numerous research conferences, been published in archival journals and won awards for their research efforts.

The lab operates out of Toomey Hall on the Missouri S&T campus and is equipped to support the needs of the team’s ongoing research with small satellite technology. The lab has evolved over the years to meet the demands of each project, gaining/training new members and developing/learning new skills. 

SSE Lab

Satellite Projects

The M-SAT team is currently focused on two ongoing small satellite projects: one through the Air Force Research Laboratory's University Nanosat Program and the other as as participant in NASA's Undergraduate Student Instrument Project (USIP). The projects are testing two key technologies: a stereoscopic imaging process for observing objects in space and a multi-mode thruster that is being developed by faculty collaborators at Missouri S&T. Two of the spacecraft are “CubeSats,” while the other (MR/MRS SAT) is classified as a microsatellite.

For more information regarding these satellite projects, please visit https://sites.google.com/umsystem.edu/msat/home.

Contact

If you are interested in the SSE lab activities and research, please contact Dr. Hank Pernicka at pernicka@mst.edu.

The Space Systems Engineering Laboratory at Missouri S&T was founded in 2001 with the arrival of Dr. Hank Pernicka. Just four years after the lab's founding, the micro-satellite design and fabrication team, the lab's flagship project, was accepted to the University Nanosat 4 competition. The satellite team placed 3rd; a remarkable achievement for a first entry against prestigious competition.

There are many diverse research areas being pursued within the lab including systems engineering, cold gas propulsion systems, and orbit and attitude determination controllers primarily within the scope of small satellites. Students working in the lab have presented papers at numerous research conferences, been published in distinguished journals and won awards for their research efforts.

Interested in learning more? Find out what Space Systems Engineering is.