Research Interests

• Spacecraft attitude control (Optimal/robust control, control allocation, underactuated satellites, momentum dumping).
• Control of satellite formations.
• Coupled attitude and orbit control.
• Advanced actuators for attitude control (Tilted wheel mechanisms, CMGs).
• Control of spacecraft pointing mechanisms.
• Estimation and observation methods (parameter, state and perturbation estimation).
• Control of aerial vehicles (quadrotors).
• Mobile robotics

Research Collaborations

•  Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), United Kingdom.
•  University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom. 
•  METU university, Ankara, Turkey.
•  DCSD/ONERA, France.
•  DLR, Germany.
•  OHB Sweden.

European projects: 

•  "Experienced researcher" in Marie Curie FP6 project ASTRONET (Completed).
•  Co-investigator for SSC in FP7 project COFORMA (Proposal submitted) on formation flying with application to SAR interferometry.

Publications

Book chapters:
[1] Horri, N.M., Palmer, P.L., Giffen, A., “Spacecraft attitude control mechanisms”, Encyclopedia of Aerospace Engineering, 9 Volume Set, DOI: 10.1002/9780470686652.eae299, John Wiley and Sons, Article number Part 26:265, December 2010.

[2] Horri, N.M., Palmer, P.L., “Technological challenges: relative navigation”, IAA book on Distributed Space Missions for Earth System Monitoring, submitted in September 2011.

[3] Horri, N.M., Pierpaolo Pergola, Yuan Ren “Trajectory optimisation and mission design”, Astrodynamics book of the research network ASTRONET, successfully reviewed in September 2011, pending publication.

Selected journal papers:

[1] Horri, N.M., Palmer, P.L., “Practical implementation of attitude control algorithms for an underactuated satellite”, AIAA Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, Volume 35, No 1, pages 40-50, Jan-Feb 2012.

[2] Horri, N.M., Palmer, P.L., Roberts, R.M.,"Gain scheduled inverse optimal satellite attitude control", IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic systems, final acceptance received, pending publication in 2012.

[3] Horri, N.M., Palmer, P.L., Roberts, R.M.," Energy Optimal spacecraft attitude control with convergence rate constraints", IFAC Journal of Control Engineering Practice, Volume 19, Issue 11, Pages 1297-1314, November 2011.

[4] Horri, N.M., Kristiansen, K., Palmer, P.L., Roberts, R.M, “Relative attitude dynamics and control for a satellite inspection mission”, Acta Astronautica, Volume 71, Pages 109-118, February-March 2012.

[5] Horri, N.M., Palmer, P.L., Roberts, R.M.," Design and validation of geometric optimisation software for the attitude control of microsatellites", Acta Astronautica, Volume 69, Issues 11-12, Pages 997-1006, December 2011.

[6] Biggs, J., Horri, N.M. “Single slew re-pointing for spin-stabilized spacecraft”, Systems and control letters, Final acceptance received, pending publication in 2012.

[7] Kristiansen, K. U., Horri, N.M., Palmer, P.L., Roberts, R.M. “On minimum energy control of relative attitude”, to be submitted to the journal of celestial mechanics and dynamical astronomy in 2012.

[8] Horri, N.M., Hodgart, M.S., “Novel Developments in the Attitude Control of an Underactuated satellite using two wheels”, WSEAS Transactions on systems, Issue 1, Volume 3, pp.328-334, January 2004.

Selected Conference papers:

[9] Inumoh, O., Horri, N.M., Pechev, A., "Tilted Wheel for Three-Axis Attitude Control of A Rigid Satellite", 1st IAA Conference on Dynamics and Control of Space Systems, Porto, Portugal, March 19-21, 2012.

[10] Acar, Y., Horri, N.M., "Optimal Momentum Unloading of Reaction Wheels in the Presence of Attitude Control Errors", International Astronautical Congress, Naples, Italy, October 2012.

[11] Inumoh, D., Horri, N.M., Pechev, A. “Hybrid attitude control of an underactuated satellite”, 62nd IAC (International Astronautical Congress), Cape Town, 03-07 October, 2011.

[12] Sharmila, K., Horri, N.M. Tekinalp, O., Ozgoren, K., “Gain scheduled inverse optimal control for fine pointing of a spacecraft camera”, Recent advances in space technology, Istanbul, Turkey, paper accepted, 09-11 June 2011.

[13] Horri, N.M.,Palmer, P.L., Roberts, R.M., “Design and validation of geometric optimisation software for the attitude control of microsatellites”, proceedings of the 61st IAC (International Astronautical Congress), Prague, Czech republic, September 27th – October 1st, 2010.

[14] Horri, N.M., Palmer, P.L., Roberts, R.M., “Optimal satellite attitude control: A geometric approach”, proceedings of the 2009 IEEE aerospace conference, 11 pages, ISBN: 978-1-4244-2621-8, Big Sky, Montana, USA, March 7-14, 2009.

[15] Horri, N.M., Palmer, P.L., Roberts, R.M., “Practical implementation of inverse optimal satellite attitude control techniques”, 21st International Symposium on Space Flight Dynamics, Toulouse, France, September 28th –October 2nd, 2009.

[16] Horri, N.M., Palmer, P.L., Roberts, R.M., “Inverse optimal satellite attitude control from a geometric viewpoint”, proceedings of the 11th IASTED conference on Control and Applications, Cambridge, UK, also chair of the nonlinear systems session, July 13-15, 2009.

[17] Horri, N.M., Palmer, P.L., Roberts, R.M., “Optimal satellite attitude control with low implementation complexity”, 7th IAA symposium on small satellites for earth observation, Berlin, Germany, May 04-08, 2009. ISBN: 3-89685-571-9.

[18] Horri, N.M.,Palmer, P.L., Roberts, R.M.," Optimal spacecraft attitude control with convergence rate constraints", International Conference on Space Technology, Thessaloniki, Greece, August 23-27, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-901725-38-4.

[19] Horri, N.M., Hodgart, M.S., “Attitude stabilisation of an underactuated small satellite using two wheels”, Proceedings of the 2003 IEEE AEROSPACE CONFERENCE, ISSN: 1095-323X, Big Sky , Montana, USA, volume 6,  pages 6_2629 - 6_2635, March 07/15 , 2003. 

[20] Horri, N.M., Hodgart, M.S., “Large angle manoeuvre of an underactuated small satellite using two wheels”, 4th IAA (International Academy of Astronautics) symposium on small satellites for earth observation, Berlin, Germany, April 07/11, 2003.

[21] Horri, N.M., Hodgart, M.S., “Novel Developments in the Attitude Control of an Underactuated satellite using two wheels”, proceedings of the 3rd WSEAS Int. Conf. on Instrumentation, Measurement, Control, Circuits And Systems, Malta, September 1-3, 2003.

Teaching

- Advanced guidance, navigation and control (EEEM009, MSc, MEng)
     Spring 2012: Full module.    
     Spring 2011: Full module.
     Spring 2010: 1/3 of the module.

- Dynamics and control of spacecraft (EEE3010, Level 3, Level M)
      Autumn 2011: 1/3 of the module.
      Autumn 2010: 1/3 of the module.
      Autumn 2009: 1/3 of the module, all labs and assignments.

- Launch vehicles and propulsion (EEEM012, MSc, MEng)
     Spring 2012: 1/3 of the module.
     Spring 2011: 1/3 of the module.

 - Linear systems analysis:
    Autumn 2008: Assignments.

- Student tutorials/labs for L1 and L2 students :
    2010- 2012: Analog/digital electronics, signals and communications, science of electronics, etc.

Student supervision:

Co-supervision of MSc, PhD and level 3 students on topics such as optimal momentum dumping, the development of a titled wheel mechanism for 3-axis attitude control, the control of quadrotors, etc.

Departmental Duties

Attendance of departmental meetings, undergraduate/postgraduate exam board meetings.

Affiliations

•  AIAA member.
•  IEEE member.
•  Fellow of the higher education academy.

Reviewer for:

- Acta Astronautica

- IET journal of Control Theory and Applications

- Systems and Control Letters

- Imech Journal of Aerospace Engineering

- Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation

- IASTED International Journal of Robotics and Automation 

- Hindawi Journal on Mathematical Problems in Engineering.