Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
STAR Group
Dr. David Canales Garcia
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Our team focuses on the incorporation of multi-body dynamics for different space applications leveraging modern computation as well as visualization tools for an accurate understanding of these regions of space.
Astrodynamics: Specializing in space mission design within the Cislunar region, perturbation and chaos theory, orbit maintenance, space situational awareness, and orbit estimation and determination.
Space Applications: Focused on immersive trajectory design and surveillance using augmented reality, systems engineering for mission design, spacecraft sizing and budgets, predictive maintenance, and signal processing.
Astrophysics and Space Weather: Researching space astrometry, lunar occultations, the solar corona, physics of the solar system, and the dynamical characterization of the solar neighborhood.
Autonomous Satellite Operations: Implementing machine learning for prediction, planning, and scheduling in IoT applications, guidance, navigation, and control (GNC), and constellation management within the Cislunar constellation environment.
The STAR group greatly appreciates funding from:
The STAR group greatly appreciates funding from:
Our research group is seeking outstanding candidates for PhD and MSc positions. Interested individuals should send their CV and a brief statement of their research interests and fit to Prof. Canales Garcia at canaled4@erau. Be sure to apply to the MS and PhD program of Aerospace Engineering, specifying the research area in Dynamics and Control. Mention your interest in working with Prof. Canales Garcia.
Our research group is seeking outstanding candidates undergraduate students for research. Interested individuals should send their CV and a brief statement of their research interests and fit to Prof. Canales Garcia at canaled4@erau.
Fellowship and Awards
Fellowship and Awards
Students Fellowships and Awards
Students Fellowships and Awards
Justing Schmitt: Winner of the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium Masters Partial Fellowship (2025).
Franco Criscola: DTIF Award recipient (2025)
Brian Baker-McEvilly: AFRL Scholar at Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing at AMOS (2025).
Mauro Palomo: Winner of the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium Masters Fellowship (2025).
Brian Baker-McEvilly: Recipient of the DoD SMART Fellowship (2025).
Mauro Palomo: Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Rocket Propulsion award at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (2025).
Brian Baker-McEvilly: Outstanding M.S. Aerospace Engineering Student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (2025).
Franco Criscola: 'Shining Star' award in honor of National Student Employment Week at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (2025).
Vincent Stafford: Recipient of the Goldwater Scholarship, 1 of 441 students in the entire country (2025).
Joseph Anderson: Winner of the NASA Florida Space Grant Consortium Masters Fellowship (2024).
Lynette Ramirez: 2024 Best Poster Award Discovery Day at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Jesika Geliga-Torres: 2024 Patti Grace Smith Fellow and 2024 Intuitive Machines & Columbia Sportswear Advancing Women in Technology.
SPARK Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University grants for Brian Baker, Annika Anderson, Joseph Anderson and Sebastian Doroba (2023).
STAR Group Grants and Awards
STAR Group Grants and Awards
January 2026: AI-Driven Autonomous Stability and Terrain Interaction Modeling for Lunar Landers} Sponsor: CARS/COE-DB Faculty Seed Grants
July 2025, ERAU FIRST: For the project titled "Mission Architecture Design Of A Cislunar Science Platform To Study Space Weather, Lunar Occultations, and Impact Flashes."
June 2025: EDSE, National Science Foundation: For the project titled "ERI: Advancing Design of Chaotic Systems with Higher-Dimensional Analysis and Human in-the-Loop Reinforced Learning."
November 2024, 2024-25 COE/BCAAS Research Stimulus Award: In collaboration with Drs. Barbara Chaparro (ERAU) and Axel Gracia (MIT Lincoln Labs) for the project titled "Enhancing Autonomous Cislunar Mission Capabilities with Meta-Reinforcement Learning and Augmented Reality for Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Lunar Landing."
May 2024, Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSRP): In collaboration with Drs. Riccardo Bevilacqua (ERAU) and Steve Eikenberry (UCF) for the project titled "Lunar Occultations from Earth-Moon Equilateral Libration points via Solar sails and Concurrent Learning."
January 2024, AFWERX with Translunar Exports and Services, LLC: For the project titled "STTR X24.E Air Force Ph1: Autonomous Computer Vision Embedded Camera."
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