MIT Lincoln Lab

** Note: Due to the confidential nature of this work, I am unable to share all photos and details of my work. **

At MIT Lincoln Lab I designed, fabricated, and controlled a low earth orbit (LEO) oriented gimbal system for precision space-to-earth pointing.

The hardware development involved a combination of 3D printing, manual milling, and lathe work. The system incorporated a range of mechanical elements, including bearings, fasteners, slip rings, and high-resolution encoders which required careful structural alignment during assembly. I handled the full mechanical build, from custom part design and manufacturing to assembly and sensor integration. The goal was to ensure the gimbal could operate reliably under realistic tracking conditions.

For actuation and precision pointing, I developed the embedded software and implemented a state-space control algorithm tailored to the gimbal’s dynamics. This controller enabled stable and accurate tracking performance, achieving micro-radian-level pointing accuracy.

This opportunity was made possible through the GEM Fellowship for my Ph.D., which directly supported my research appointment at MIT Lincoln Laboratory.