Meet the 2025 KISS Affiliates
Satvik Kumar
Grad student in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science
Hometown: Carmel, IN
Date of this Interview: December 20, 2024
What do you research?
My research is focused on space autonomy and control. This includes developing algorithms to enable autonomous space exploration. I am currently developing motion planning algorithms for spacecraft to rendezvous with uncooperative tumbling objects such as asteroids.
Why does space inspire you?
Space inspires me because of all the unknowns it possesses. There is so much to discover in space across all fields of science. Designing space missions to explore, sense, and conduct science experiments enables new engineering and technological feats. As an engineer, space inspires and enables us to innovate and push the boundaries.
If you could instantly travel to any point in the universe, where would you choose to go?
I would go to Jupiter’s moon Europa. I found the book Alien Oceans by Kevin Hand very interesting and am now curious to go to Europa myself with robots to explore the subsurface ocean.
Where can you be found when you’re not conducting research?
I love hiking so I can be found on some trail!
What book do you wish you could read for the first time again?
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown