Space Robotics at the Edge of the Unknown
The USC Department of Astronautical Engineering (ASTE) is expanding its focus on space robotics, with an emphasis on autonomous systems that can operate in extreme and unmapped environments.
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Department of Astronautical Engineering News
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Space Robotics Platform Astrobee Set for Commercial Transition for ISS Operations
USC/ISI hosted researchers and startups to discuss NASA’s Astrobee for next-generation space robotics
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The Society of Women Engineers Recognizes Azad Madni
Madni to receive the 2025 Rodney Chipp Memorial Award from SWE
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Turning Research Into Reality: USC Launches New Tech Innovation Fellowship
Two visionary company founders set the stage for groundbreaking research to become thriving startups
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Excellence, Curiosity, Character: The Graduates of the USC Viterbi Class of 2025
At the USC Viterbi undergraduate commencement ceremony, the next generation of engineers are encouraged to advance technology that solves the world’s grand challenges.
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“You Are Agents of Change”: The USC Viterbi Master’s Class of 2025
At the USC Viterbi master’s commencement ceremonies, Dean Yannis C. Yortsos praised graduates on the “singular achievement” of earning their master’s degree.
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“Building A Better World:” Dean Yannis C. Yortsos Tells Graduates They Will Make A Difference
The 2025 Ph.D. Hooding and Awards Ceremony honors 150 new graduates and Haotian Hang, winner of this year’s best Ph.D. thesis
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Imagining the Future of Deep Space Habitats
PhD student Ulubilge Ulusoy researches optimal collaboration between humans and AI during maintenance operations in deep space habitats.
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From Space Camp to NASA Mission Control
Graduating astronautical engineering student Paige Kaufman launched the Space Spiels podcast and now she’s on her way to the NASA Johnson Space Center.
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A USC Swim Team Captain Dreams of Space Travel
Kaitlyn Dobler, a graduating master’s student in astronautical engineering, applies the discipline she has learned as a swimmer to project such as researching the atmosphere of Venus.
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From Lego, to Electric Racecars, to SpaceX
Graduating mechanical engineering student PJ Morgan’s involvement with USC Formula Electric led to a prestigious internship at SpaceX.
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USC Viterbi’s CURVE Program Hosts Annual Student Research Showcase
135 student presentations address health, security, sustainability and how to enrich life
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ASTE Papers at the 46th IEEE Aerospace Conference
Paper topics ranged from the development of robots for maintenance tasks in space, to tackling the problem of space debris, to exploring new concepts for energy-efficient, low-cost space missions.
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How Alex Gasca Went From Building Islands on Earth to Infrastructure for Space
Relativity Space infrastructure engineer credits USC Viterbi master’s program in Emerging Technologies in Construction with aiding new career in space engineering.
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ASTE and AME Students Present Winning Projects at the AIAA Conference
USC AME and ASTE students participated in the AIAA Region VI Student Conference at the University of California, Irvine, March 29-30.
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Adjunct Professor Ryan Park Awarded the 2025 IEEE AESS Judith A. Resnik Space Award
Ryan Park, adjunct professor of astronautical engineering, has been awarded the 2025 Judith A. Resnik Space Award for his important contributions to the study of gravity and planetary science.
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Celebrating 20 Years of USC Viterbi Astronautical Engineering
The academic program and its record-breaking student-run USC Rocket Propulsion Lab are celebrating 20 years of advancing space exploration through stellar research and teaching.
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USC Viterbi Hosts Honeywell Hypersonics & Emerging Technologies Industry Day
Leading industry representatives, academics and students gathered on campus to discuss the future of hypersonic technology.
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Senior Design Projects Tackle Today’s Top Engineering Problems
Students in the USC Department of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering apply their learning to address some of the most pressing technological challenges facing industry today.
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USC Researcher Explores Human-AI Collaboration for Future Space Missions
Ulubilge Ulusoy, a PhD candidate in the USC Department of Astronautical Engineering (ASTE), researches how astronauts and AI can learn to collaborate more effectively for deep space missions.
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Undergraduate Faith Colon Wins Prestigious AIAA Scholarship
The USC Viterbi junior received the Lockheed Martin Marillyn Hewson Scholarship for excellence in astronautical engineering
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USC Student Rocket Group Shatters International Amateur Space Record
Aftershock II is believed to be the world’s first civilian-built rocket to reach an altitude of 470,000 feet.
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USC Space Engineering Students Showcase Innovation at International Conference
Students from USC’s Space Engineering Research Center present six research projects at the International Astronautical Conference in Milan, Italy.
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USC Viterbi AI Startups Thrive
Defying rollercoaster AI investment trends, startups founded by alumni and faculty at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering have consistently seen success in VC funding.
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Insects, Balloons and Rockets: How One Scholarship Enables Flight
Autumn Zaretsky, Doug Peacock Scholar, seeks to push the boundaries of what is known and what can be known.
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USC Viterbi Students Present at the International Electric Propulsion Conference in France
Students attended the 38th International Electric Propulsion Conference (IEPC) held in Toulouse, France, where they presented a paper about their project to develop a low-power solid-fuel plasma thruster for de-orbiting CubeSats.
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USC Liquid Propulsion Lab is Advancing Reusable Rocket Research
The student-run team tackles the challenge of designing regeneratively cooled reusable rocket engines.
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Azad Madni Receives Prestigious National Awards
University professor elected as AIAA honorary fellow and receives Distinguished Career Award from the Washington Academy of Sciences.
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Ph.D. Student Tackles the Environmental Impact of Spacecraft Re-Entry
José P. Ferreira, a doctoral candidate in astronautical engineering, has received the prestigious Space for Sustainability Award from the European Space Agency (ESA).
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From Dreams to Degrees: USC Viterbi Class of 2024 Graduates Shape Tomorrow, Today
At the forefront of engineering and technology, graduates like Christian Bryan redefine potential with degrees in cutting-edge fields and a commitment to lifelong exploration.
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Master’s Class of 2024: “The Best So Far”
At the USC Viterbi master’s commencement ceremonies, Dean Yannis C. Yortsos praised graduates’ resilience, ingenuity and integrity
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First-Gen Student Leads the USC Liquid Propulsion Lab
Soon to launch into a career at one of the nation’s top space companies, graduating student Danetti Martino has already gained ground as lead engineer of one of the nation’s top student rocketry labs.
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Propelled by Mentorship, an Astronautical Engineer’s Path To Success
For graduating student Brooke Rios, the path to engineering excellence was discovered in the powerful alliances she forged along the way.
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Launching an Astronautics Startup: A Student Entrepreneur’s Journey
Graduating engineer James Austin went from small-town roots to becoming a startup founder developing a new space launch system.
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An Astronautics Polymath Discovers a Talent for Robotics
Graduating student Henry Adam was too curious to specialize early on – by allowing his interests to roam, he managed to achieve more than most goal-oriented engineers.
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Solving The Space Dilemma
USC ISI researchers are building tools to solve safety problems in space operations, and creating test beds to simulate cyberattacks in space
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AME and ASTE Students Awarded at the 2024 AIAA Conference
AME teams received 2nd and 3rd place in the Undergraduate Teams category.
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Graduate Students Present Papers at the 45th IEEE Aerospace Conference
Paper topics ranged from designs for space robots, to management of space debris, to support for astronauts conducting maintenance in space habitats.
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Professor Mike Gruntman participates in Symposium on Space Sciences and Technologies at M. S. Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Bengaluru
Professor Gruntman helped to organize the symposium, and took part in a panel discussion where he discussed opportunities in space for students in India.
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USC Rocket Propulsion Lab is Ready to Return to Space
The stellar USC Astronautics team has now set the record for the most powerful motor ever fired by a student group – so, what’s next?
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Professor Azad Madni Awarded ASME Honorary Membership
Professor Azad Madni is awarded Honorary Membership by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
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Too Close for Comfort: USC Viterbi Students Use AI to Prevent Aircraft Collisions
USC had two teams among top 10 finalists in national FAA Data Challenge 2023.
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Anita Sengupta is on a Mission to Decarbonize Aviation
Hydroplane, founded by USC alum Anita Sengupta, receives Minority Emerging Technology and Industries Firm of the Year Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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USC Viterbi at The Economist Space Economy Summit
USC Viterbi leadership and alumni join global thought-leaders in debate about the economic growth of a multi-billion dollar industry.
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Space Archaeology at 17,000 Miles Per Hour
The preliminary findings from the first ever archaeological study of the ISS are shared during a presentation at USC.
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Faculty and Students Pay Tribute to Software Engineering Pioneer Barry Boehm
Boehm is remembered as a dedicated researcher and a “wonderful advisor”, who greatly shaped the life of his students and colleagues.
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DEN@Viterbi celebrates 50 years of high-impact distance learning
The progressive pedagogy of the pioneering distance learning program has changed the lives of graduate students worldwide.
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Low Cost and Lightweight Hardware will Transform the Space Industry
USC astronautics professor plays a crucial role in developing hardware for NASA’s first commercial payload to the Moon.
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USC Students Advance Augmented Reality for Artemis Astronauts
NASA SUITS challenges students to boost astronauts’ capacity for safe and ambitious exploration.
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First USC Research Prototype Launches for Testing on the International Space Station
CLINGERS, a unique docking system, is designed to facilitate sensing and docking operations in space.
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So You’d Like a Job at the Largest Aerospace Company in the World?
Unique partnership between Boeing and USC Viterbi allows paid summer internships, tuition expenses and a full time position after graduation.
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Wide Awake and Dreaming: USC Viterbi’s 2023 Master’s Commencement Ceremonies
The class of 2023 is “the best educated, the most representative in our history.”
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“At Heart, We’re Problem Solvers:” USC Viterbi Undergraduate Commencement 2023
This year’s ceremony at Alumni Park was headlined by alumnus and venture capitalist, Mark Stevens, who praised the power and versatility of an engineering degree
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“Attention is All You Need”: New Ph.D.s Urged to Attend to “Challenges of Earth’s Eight Billion People.”
The 2023 Ph.D. Hooding and Awards Ceremony honors 133 new graduates and Jiaoyang Li, winner of this year’s best Ph.D. thesis.
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NAE’s 2023 Gordon Prize Ceremony Celebrates the Career of Azad Madni
For the second year in a row, USC hosts the top award in engineering education.
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More Debris, More Problems: Building Technology to Clean Up Space
Researchers at USC Viterbi’s Information Sciences Institute are building machines to help rid junk from the atmosphere.
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First 3D Printed Rocket, Created by Trojan Engineers, Soars Into the Upper Atmosphere
The co-founders of Relativity Space eye their next big steps: investing in space start-ups and reaching Earth orbit.
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Former Students Pioneer Edge Computing In Space
From the lab to outer space, these former ISIers are launching more than just a company.
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Six Weeks to Mars? Viterbi Alums Are Building Powerful, Versatile Rocket Engines
Ursa Major, a company with 13 alumni, seeks to democratize access to space
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Alumnus Makes Space Dreams Come True
Propulsion engineer Roderic Vanderscoff helps Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket reach orbit
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Azad Madni Receives NAE’s 2023 Gordon Prize
For second year in a row, a Trojan receives top award in engineering education
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Azad Madni Receives the Prestigious IEEE Simon Ramo Medal
Madni is being honored for pioneering contributions to model-based systems engineering, education, and industrial impact using interdisciplinary approaches
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Powered by Honor
Two decades as a Navy pilot taught Will Pressley, M.S. ’17, what it takes to succeed as a military leader. (Hint: The answer’s not in “Top Gun: Maverick.”)
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USC Viterbi DEN Course Offered in Ukraine Hopes to Rebuild Space Industry
Free, online astronautics course is a humanitarian effort to maintain Ukraine’s academic excellence in astronautics
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Have You Ever Played Piano in Zero Gravity? Jose Ferreira Has.
USC Viterbi Ph.D. student takes music to new heights, combining his love of space with the arts
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Artificial Intelligence in Space – USC’s Information Sciences Institute is on a Mission
Astronaut Danny Olivas joins ISI’s Visual Intelligence and Multimedia Analytics Laboratory (VIMAL) to look for ways to use AI in space.
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USC Students Compete in Augmented Reality NASA SUITS Challenge
The team was one of 10 selected by NASA to design an AR interface for lunar, Martian exploration.
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When Will Space Flight Be As Safe as Air Flight?
USC Viterbi adjunct professor and rocket scientist, Michael Kezirian, makes a case for why advancing space safety measures advances space exploration.
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“The Best Educated Class In Our History”
At the 2022 commencement ceremony, undergraduates shared laughter, tears and hugs as they embark on a new journey
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“The World Impatiently Waits For You”: 1100 USC Viterbi Master’s Students Graduate
First in-person, satellite ceremonies in two years feature four-star general and former CEO of Yahoo and Verizon Media as speakers
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“Do Better Than Us”: Three Years of USC Viterbi Ph.D.s Receive Their Hoods.
At the 2022 Ph.D. Hooding and Awards Ceremony, 215 new graduates join Trojan forebears like Andrew Viterbi and Wanda Austin.
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USC and UA Students Are Developing an AR Interface to Inform Lunar Astronauts of Location, Vitals
Finalists in NASA “SUITS Up” Next Generation Astronaut Challenge Hopes to Foster Lunar Exploration
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“Life Is Matter Plus Algorithms”
Annual USC Viterbi-Axilor Series Inspires Innovators and Entrepreneurs
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USC Launches its 3rd Satellite into Space
Satellite Dodona, with its novel Lockheed Martin La Jument payloads, is part of SpaceX’s Smallsat Rideshare Program, will ride Transporter 3 mission to space
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The Future of Solar System Modeling and Potential to Identify New Bodies
USC Viterbi Adjunct Associate Professor and JPL Principal Engineer Ryan Park will work on a new commission to produce high precision solar system models, potentially improving our ability to navigate and understand outer space.
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Undergraduate Researchers Impress Viterbi Community With CURVE Symposium Posters
Over 100 USC Viterbi undergraduates present their year-long research projects virtually at the 2021 Viterbi Research Symposium
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Ten USC Viterbi Students Honored with Aerospace Fellowship
A collaboration between the USC WiSE program and the Aerospace Corporation, this prestigious fellowship offers students the opportunity to gain real-life industry experience and develop their skills
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Commencement 2021: Engineering Grads Take Center Stage at L.A. Coliseum For First Time in 71 Years
In a return to in-person graduation, the Class of 2020 and 2021 celebrate “passage to a post-COVID new world”
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Class of 2021: Shobhita Rajashekar
Master’s student and class of 2021 graduate Shobhita Rajashekar hopes to get each and every one of us curious about space.
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How Do You Build a Rocket Without a Lab?
How USC’s renowned Rocket Propulsion Laboratory took one of the most hands-on clubs on campus remote.
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Five Questions about Space with Garrett Reisman
An audio conversation about space tourism, sustainability and pizza.
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USC Viterbi Professors Azad Madni and Jong-Shi Pang Inducted into the National Academy of Engineering
An optimization expert who harnesses mathematics to improve industries and a leader in astronautical and systems engineering are USC Viterbi’s newest members of the National Academy of Engineering.
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Mr. “Astropreneur”
Joe Landon has spent more than a decade working toward the day when millions of people can live and work in space
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STARFISH: Space Exploration’s Newest Star
USC’s Space and Engineering Research Center looks to the star-shaped sea creature for their groundbreaking soft robotics project.
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Azad Madni Receives Prestigious Award from National Defense Industrial Association
Professor of astronautical engineering and director of the Systems Architecting and Engineering program receives individual recognition for his contributions to the systems engineering discipline.
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USC Viterbi Student and Air Force Officer Makes Plans to Go to Space
U.S. Air Force officer and astronautical engineering graduate student, Edward Proulx, prepares to fly into space at USC.
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After a record-breaking deployment Navy Officer returns to USC for second graduate degree
Jonathan Messer, M.S. ’18, put his systems engineering degree to use during a global pandemic and a humanitarian mission in Central America. He’s now taking it to outer space.
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Unlocking the Secrets of the Smallest Dwarf Planet
JPL Engineer and Adjunct USC Viterbi Professor Ryan Park confirms that dwarf planet Ceres is water-rich and geologically active.
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USC Wins First Place in the AIAA Small Satellite Student Competition
USC Viterbi students design an ionic electrospray thruster to help fill in the propulsion gap for small satellites.
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One Giant LEAPFROG For Humanity
USC students and researchers at ISI SERC are building a lunar landing flight vehicle as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
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USC Student Team Makes NASA RASC-AL Competition Finals
The design team will present its design on Wednesday, June 17 at 10:50 a.m. PST. Livestream will be available.
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The 2020 Undergraduate Student Awards
Motivated to engineer a better world for all humanity, USC Viterbi celebrates graduates who have pursued academic excellence and impacted their communities.
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Trojan Students Sweep the Boeing Innovation Challenge
USC teams take the first three places in the prestigious competition, with USC Viterbi students leading the way.
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USC Viterbi Listed Again Among the Nation’s Top 10 Engineering Graduate Programs
Annual rankings by U.S. News & World Report also keep USC Viterbi among the top five private engineering schools
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Rocket Handles New Features with Poise
The record-breaking student-led USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory launched its latest vehicle, Poise, to test a new propellant, recovery system and more.
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Is There Life on Mars? With the Right Tools, There Could Be.
A team of USC students is one of 10 finalists awarded $10K to build a water extraction tool for NASA’s Moon to Mars challenge.
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“What If the Space Race Had Never Ended?” A Q&A With Garrett Reisman
New series “For All Mankind” explores alternate history of NASA with guidance from USC Viterbi professor of astronautics
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“I Want To Leave The World A Better Place Than I Found It”
Kevin Moran, astronautical engineering transfer student and U.S. Navy veteran has his eyes set on fusing engineering with humanitarian work
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USC Rocket Propulsion Laboratory Receives Special Honor
The AIAA recognized students from the rocket lab for being the first undergraduate student team to design, build and successfully launch a rocket into space.
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In Space or in the Classroom, Fun is a Top Priority
Garrett Reisman’s USC micro-seminar convenes incoming undergraduates to help navigate expectations and pressures and mitigate stress