Laks

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Prof. Aslan graduated as an Aeronautical Engineer from the Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Department of Aeronautical Engineering. He received his MSc degree from the same department in 1985. Then, he completed the Diploma Course of the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics with a scholarship in 1986. He received his Ph.D. from the same institute together with Universite Libre de Bruxelles in 1991. The same year, he started working as a faculty member (Assistant Professor) in the Department of Astronautical Engineering of ITU. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1993 and became a full Professor in 1999, both at the same institution. He was a visiting professor and worked as an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University, USA, between 2001 and 2002. Prof. A. Rüstem Aslan served as the head of the Department of Astronautical Engineering at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) from 2004 to 2013. He has been the Deputy Director of Rotorcraft Center of Excellence (ROTAM) of ITU since 2003. He has also served as the coordinator of the Defense Technologies Graduate programme and co-director of the ITU Distance Education Center, in addition to other various administrative positions. He has also established seven labs including the spacecraft systems design and test lab. He is member a IAF, AMSAT-TR and UNISEC-Global. Dr. Aslan’s research interests include the design, analysis and development of nano (two is in orbit) and microsatellites, manned and unmanned rotorcraft systems, computational fluid dynamics, fluid mechanics and aerodynamics, and defense and education technologies. Dr. Aslan has authored or co-authored over hunder thirty technical publications (full-length). His fourty research projects have been sponsored by various civil and military funding agencies and industries. Contact: aslanr(at)itu.edu.tr

Turkey, Prof. A. Rüstem Aslan

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Swiss Space Systems Holding SA – S3, Switzerland Dr. Cem Asma studied Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering at Middle East Technical University (Ankara, Turkey), where he got his BSc. and MSc. degrees. After working for a defense industry company as an R&D engineer, he moved to Belgium for higher education. He got his second Masters degree (Research Master in Aerospace) at von Karman Institute and he started working there as a researcher. He worked at von Karman Institute as a senior researcher and project manager for various aerospace projects that are supported by European Space Agency and European Commission, among others. In the meantime, he got his PhD degree from the University of Ghent in Belgium, performing an experimental research on hypersonic flows. Dr. Asma has also volunteered as the project coordinator for Space Generation Advisory Council, a non-profit NGO which aims to represent students and young space professionals to the United Nations, States, and space agencies. Currently he is the Head of Academic Projects at Swiss Space Systems with the main focus on the development of nano-satellites. Dr. Asma’s research activities focus on high-speed aerothermodynamics, measurement techniques and wind tunnel testing, plasma physics and re-entry flows, sensors and payloads on board of satellites and experimental spacecraft. Dr. Asma has been a key person in the initiation and management of the QB50 Project, where 50 CubeSats from universities all over the world form a network to perform scientific research in the lower thermosphere. Contacat: cem.asma(at)s-3.ch

Switzerland, Cem O. Asma, Ph.D.

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University of Ljubljana Saso Blazic received his B.Sc., M. Sc., and Ph. D. degrees in 1996, 1999, and 2002, respectively, from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana. He is currently a Professor with the University of Ljubljana. From 2010 he has been partly employed by the Slovenian Centre of Excellence for Space Sciences and Technologies (SPACE-SI). His research interests include control and modelling of nonlinear dynamical systems. In recent years the focus of his work is directed towards autonomous mobile systems and satellites where the areas of formation flying control and visual based satellite attitude control should be mentioned. Prof. Blazic is a member of the design group of the NEMO HD mission (cooperation between the SPACE-SI and the University of Toronto Space Flight Laboratory). He was a member of the group from SPACE-SI that performed several experiments on the Prisma mission (OHB Sweden). He published 46 papers in peer-reviewed journals (among those 28 in journals with impact factor). From 2010 he is serving as a president of the Automatic Control Society which is a regular member of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC). Contact: saso.blazic(at)fe.uni-lj.si

Ljubljana, Prof. Saso Blazic

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Samara State Aerospace University Dr. Igor V. Belokonov has served Samara State Aerospace University since 1976. Currently he is the Head of Department of Space research, Professor of Dynamics Flight and Control Systems of Samara State Aerospace University, Vice-President and Executive Director of Volga Branch of Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, and General Director of Samara Scientific Center of Space Technologies. He obtained DIPL. ENGINEER, KUYHBUSHEV AVIATION INSTITUTE in 1973, CAND. OF TECH.SCI., KUYHBUSHEV AVIATION INSTITUTE in 1976, and DR. OF TECH. SCI., SAMARA STATE AEROSPACE UNIVERSITY in 1999. His research interest includes ballistics, navigation and guidance in space, optimal planning and algorithms of satellite radio navigating for spacecraft. Other activities and responsibilities include Academician of Russian Academy of Cosmonautics (1997 – present), Academician of International Academy for Navigating and Motion Control (2006 – present), Foreign Member of “Institute of Navigation” (USA) (1998 – 2002), Member of Editorial Boards of “Aerospace Instrumentation Technologies”, “Control and Computer Science” Journals, the Head of Russian-European Summer Space School “Future Space Technologies and Experiments in Space”(2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011), etc. He participated in the experiments on space vehicles Foton-12 (1999), Foton-M2 (2005), Foton-M3 (2007). He published more than 200 science articles. Contact: ibelokonov(at)mail.ru

Russia, Dr. Igor V. Belokonov

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Dipartimento di Ingegneria Astronautica, Elettrica ed Energetica (DIAEE), University of Rome la Sapienza Fabio Santoni received the Dr. Eng. degree in Aeronautical Engineering (cumlaude) and the PhD in Aerospace Engineering both at Universita’ di Roma “La Sapienza”, in 1992 and 1996. In 1996 he was visiting scholar at Stanford University, were he participated in the small satellite programs Sapphire and Opal. He had technical managenent responsibiliy in the education program UNISAT at University of Rome “La Sapienza”, till 2009. He is presently Associate Professor in Aerospace Systems at the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Astronautica, Elettrica ed Energetica (DIAEE) of University of Rome “La Sapienza”, where he established the Aerospace Systems Laboratory. His research activity is mainly devoted to nanospacecraft design, attitude determination and control, space debris observation, mitigation and remediation techniques, including end-of-life disposal and active debris removal. Contact: fabio.santoni(at)uniroma1.it

Italy, Prof. Fabio Santoni

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Director of Lithuanian Space Association Vidmantas Tomkus received an MS degree in Physics at Vilnius University. Starting in 1985, he has worked at the Semiconductors Physics Institute of Academy of Sciences of Lithuania. From 1994 until the present time, he has worked at different positions in telecommunications and satellite industries such as CTO at Radio M-1, CEO at JSC “Dicto Citius” and JSC “Arcus Novus”. In 2007, he was assigned as an Expert of Inter-ministerial Working groups of the National Space Program, Integrated Programs in ICT, Mechatronics, Lasers, New Materials, Strategy of Research Infrastructures of Lithuania, Member of Council of Semiconductor Physics Institute and Chairman of National Space Technology Platform of Lithuania. Since 2009, Vidmantas Tomkus has served as a director of the Lithuanian Space Association and deals with the promotion of space-related activities of Lithuanian R&D institutions and SME’s, co-operation with the European Space Agency, bilateral relations with national space agencies and companies working in the space industry. In 2010, he was assigned as an EC Committee FP7 Space Expert. Contact: vidmantas.tomkus(at)gmail.com

Lithuania, Dr. Vidmantas Tomkus

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University of Wuerzburg Prof. Dr. Schilling worked in space industry on design of interplanetary satellites (including HUYGENS to the Saturnian Moon Titan and ROSETTA for cometary exploration) before he became Ordinarius Informatics VII: Robotics and Telematics at University Würzburg. In parallel he is president of the company “Zentrum für Telematik e.V.”. He received 2012 an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council for networked satellites system control and was recipient of the Walter-Reis-Award for Innovations in Robotics 2008 and 2012. He is corresponding member of the International Academy of Astronautics. At Stanford University he was Consulting Professor 2002-2006. In the International Federation on Automatic Control (IFAC) he serves since 2008 as Chairman of “Technical Committee on Telematics” and at IEEE was appointed 2006 – 2012 as chairman of the “Technical Committee on Networked Robotics”. Contact: schi(at)informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de

Germany, Prof. Klaus Schilling

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CASTRA Space and Solar-Terrestrial Research Institute (SSTRI) Dr. Vassilev received his M.Sc. diploma engineering degree in Applied Physics – Microelectronics and Optoelectronics from the University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria in 1994. His M.Sc.thesis work was in the field of modelling the quantum properties of semiconductor structures. In 2004, Vesselin received his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium being at the same time affiliated to the Interuniversity Microelectronics Center (IMEC), Belgium, the worlds leading independent R&D centre in the field of semiconductor technologies and applications. Vesselin’s Ph.D. research area was in the field of modelling and design of protections circuits against Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) events in semiconductor devices and circuits. In the 2005-2009 Dr. Vassilev was part of the product reliability team of Texas Instruments Inc., Dallas, USA, providing solutions and support to the wirelesses products groups at TI in the area of ESD design for state of the art advanced integrated circuits. In 2009 Dr. Vassilev established the start up company Novorell Ltd., which provides Electronic Device Automation (EDA) software tools and consultancy services to companies worldwide in the areas of ESD design reliability solutions for the nowadays integrated circuits and technologies. In 2010 Dr. Vassilev initiated the establishment of Cluster Aero-Space Technologies, Research and Applications (CASTRA), a non-profit non-government organization in Bulgaria combing the expertise, capacity and resources of 23 (at present time) organizations in the country – such as SME’s, Universities and R&D centres with activities related to the aero-space filed and its applications to the benefit of the whole society. At present , Dr.Vassilevs serves as the CASTRA’s CEO and is also affiliated to the Space and Solar-Terrestrial Research Institute (SSTRI), part the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences – the leading space research organization in Bulgaria, successfully executed in the past two human space […]

Bulgaria, Dr. Vesselin Vassilev

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Sofia University Prof. Plamen I. Dankov received his M.Sc. degree in atomic physics and his PhD degree in Microwave Physics from the Faculty of Physics in Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria, in 1980 and 1988, respectively. In 1989, he joined the Department of Radio-Physics and Electronics in the Faculty of Physics and now he is an Assoc. Professor in Microwave and Wireless Technique. He has established teaching of many courses in the area of Radio-Electronics, Wireless Communications, Microwave and Wireless Technique, Microwave Measurements, Antennas for Wireless Communications, EMC in IC’s, Basic Principles of Mission Design with Small Aerospace Vehicles, etc. Currently he is a Chair of two successful Master programs: “Wireless Networks and Devices” and “Aerospace Engineering and Communications”. He is also a scientific consultant for material characterization and antenna radomes in RaySat, Bulgaria and Gilat Ltd. (Gilat Satellite Networks). The research efforts of Dr. Plamen Dankov are focused on characterization of dielectric material properties and anisotropy; microwave measurements; RF planar devices, antennas and antenna arrays, electromagnetic 3D simulators, near-field measurements; EMC measurements, safety standards for microwaves; satellite communications, aerospace engineering and small satellites, etc. He has more than 125 papers, presented and published in different journals and conference proceedings. Dr. Dankov is member of the Review Board of the Annual European Microwave Conference EuMC (more than 180 review notes), IEEE-MTT, IEEE-MWCL, IEEE Instrumentation and measurements; IEEE Microwave Magazine, etc. He is member of IEEE in 4 societies: 1) Microwave Theory and Technique; 2) Antennas and Propagation, 3) Instrumentation and Measurements, 4) Aerospace and Electronic Systems. Dr. Dankov has participations in several international and local contracts in different areas: material characterizations, plasma antennas, THz beams; controlled thermonuclear fusion (EUROATOM), COST VISTA project: Versatile, Integrated, and Signal-aware Technologies for Antennas, etc. A new joint project between Sofia University and Siberian […]

Bulgaria, Prof. Plamen I. Dankov

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