"I worked with Professor Michele Maestrini. As the number of satellites, inactive spacecraft, and orbital debris continues to grow, the SPIRE Lab is developing a fully robotic, remotely operated telescope system to monitor objects in near-Earth space and advance autonomous telescope operations. My project focused on supporting the development of an optical sensor for Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST). As the number of satellites, inactive spacecraft, and orbital debris continues to grow, the SPIRE Lab is developing a fully robotic, remotely operated telescope system to monitor objects in near-Earth space and advance autonomous telescope operations."
Shriya's story
Shriya Thakur '29, an aeronautics and astronautics major, worked at the SPIRE Lab in the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology at Politecnico di Milano. Their internship gave her a clearer sense of her academic and career goals in aerospace engineering.
"I developed many new technical skills like how robotic telescopes are controlled using the INDI client-server architecture, KStars/Ekos, and PyINDI, gaining a deeper understanding of remote telescope operations and automation. This internship made me relaize I am more broadly interested in space systems than in aviation. It strengthened my enthusiasm for pursuing an aerospace engineering career focused on space and further motivated me to complete my astronomy minor alongside my major at MIT."Shriya Thakur '29
Major & Minor, Class
Aeronautics and Astronautics , Class of 2029
MISTI program
Internship
MISTI host
Politecnico di Milano
Location
Milan, Italy