Anastasios-Faidon Retselis
Computational Physicist & Space Systems Engineer
Hello! My name is Anastasis. I am a trained physicist specializing in astrodynamics applications and space systems engineering. I enjoy the challenges involved with designing & operating systems in space and I am always looking for opporunities to expand and apply my knowledge.
- Location
- Oslo, Norway
- anastasis@retsel.is
- Website
- https://retsel.is
- Anastasios-Faidon Retselis
- GitLab
- retse
- GitHub
- aretselis
- ORCID
- 0009-0004-1270-5179
Experience
– present
Doctoral Research Fellow at University of Oslo
PhD research fellow working on digital twins and CENSSAT-1 at the Centre for Space Sensors and Systems (CENSSS) hosted at the University of Oslo.
Highlights
- Building a digital twin of CENSSAT-1 to demonstrate concrete use cases for spacecraft design and operations
- Systems Engineer/Mission Manager for the 16U CENSSAT-1 CubeSat mission
- Orbital analysis and Space Debris Mitigation Requirements Verification for CENSSAT-1
- Definition & development of operations infrastructure to support the CENSSAT-1 mission
- Supervision of 10+ MSc students writing their thesis at the University of Oslo, the Oslo School of Architecture and Design and ETH Zurich
- Teaching assistant for the course TEK4700 Space Systems, delivering lectures on STK to students and administering 3 assignments
–
Space Systems Engineer/Mission Manager at University of Oslo
Space Systems Engineer/Mission Manager (employeed as a researcher) for the CENSSAT-1 mission hosted at the Centre for Space Sensors and Systems (CENSSS) at the University of Oslo.
Highlights
- Establishment of key processes for subsequent mission phases
- Technical budgets and concept of operations for the feasibility study
- Orbital analysis and Space Debris Mitigation Planning for the mission
- Requirements definition at system level
- Assembly, Integration and Verification strategy definition for the subsequent mission phases
- Participation in the public procurement of the satellite platform (>1.5 million EUR) of CENSSAT-1 as a technical expert
–
Flight Dynamics Flight Engineer at Satellogic
Flight Dynamics Engineer within the Mission & Operations department, ensuring that the Aleph constellation of 35+ satellites is in position to capture high-resolution imagery of our planet.
Highlights
- Planning and execution of 150+ orbital maneuvers for orbit acquisition, station keeping and collision avoidance
- Implementation of monitoring & alerting applications for operational purposes
- Troubleshooting of issues related to the propulsion system of the satellites
- Development of in-house notebooks and libraries in Python and Julia for the automation of processes
- Development of an autonomous collision avoidance framework for the entire constellation
- Research activities to better understand the performance of the satellites and to expand their capabilities
- Optimization of maneuvering framework to ensure minimum disruption to nominal operations and efficient maneuvering
- Thorough analysis and development of a framework to monitor the pointing performance of the satellites
–
Technical Advisor at PeakSat project (SpaceDot)
Technical Advisor for the PeakSat optical communications CubeSat project, which is part of the ESA-funded “Greek CubeSats In-Orbit Validation” program.
Highlights
- Co-authoring the proposal submitted to ESA
- Early system design & requirements definition
- Performance analysis focused on orbital dynamics & power domains
- Technical Consulting
–
Lead Systems Engineer at AcubeSAT Project (SpaceDot)
Head of the Systems Engineering team for the AcubeSAT project, a 3U CubeSat state-of-the-art biology mission by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, supported by the European Space Agency’s “Fly Your Satellite!” programme.
Highlights
- Definition of the system level requirements for the spacecraft
- Implementation of the concurrent engineering method using relevant tools (OCDT) and hosting over 30 concurrent design sessions
- Supervision of the system design and its compliance with requirements and tailored ECSS standards
- Development of in-house python scripts for power budget and reliability evaluations
- Definition of the Manufacturing, Assembly, Integration and Verification Plan (MAIVP) for the entire spacecraft
- Implementation of Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) and derivation of compensating provisions for critical items
- Collaboration with other engineers within the team and external parties for the resolution of technical issues in a fast-paced environment
–
AOCS subsystem coordinator at AcubeSAT Project (SpaceDot)
Member and coordinator of the Attitude Determination and Orbit Control subteam during the conceptual phase of the AcubeSAT project.
Highlights
- Prototyping and development of a reaction wheel control system planned for AcubeSAT using Arduino and in-house developed hardware
- Early mission analysis and orbit definition for the AcubeSAT mission, using a variety of computational tools and theoretical concepts
- Trade-off analysis and definition of the preliminary physical architecture of the ADCS subsystem
Education
– present
PhD in Space Systems Engineering from University of Oslo
Courses
- PhD Project: Digital Twins For Space Systems: Advancing Space Systems Engineering and Spacecraft Operations
- Activities: Space Systems Engineering and Mission Manager for the CENSSAT-1 mission
–
Master in Computational Physics from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with GPA of 9.53/10
Courses
- MSc Thesis: Image-based orbit determination of the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system using the Hera spacecraft
- Relevant coursework: Computational Dynamics, Astrodynamics and Applications, Computational Mathematics I & II, Data Analysis and Processing using MATLAB
- Activities: Teaching assistant for the elective course Systems Reliability at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
–
Degree in Physics from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with GPA of 8.05/10
Courses
- BSc Thesis: Orbital analysis and the spin-orbit coupling problem for the AcubeSAT mission
- Relevant coursework: Computational Physics and Applications, Metrology and Quality Systems, Telecommunication systems, Electronic Circuits
- Activities: Teaching assistant for the courses Mathematics I and Physics III (Electricity-Magnetism) at the School of Physics
Languages
- Greek
- Fluency: Native speaker
- English
- Fluency: Native or bilingual proficiency
- German
- Fluency: Full professional proficiency
- Spanish
- Fluency: Elementary proficiency
Skills
- Programming
- Level: ProfessionalKeywords:
- Scientific Programming
- Level: ExpertKeywords:
- Astrodynamics
- Level: ExpertKeywords:
- Space Systems Engineering
- Level: ExpertKeywords:
- Spacecraft Operations
- Level: ExpertKeywords:
Publications
Lessons learned from the design and early manufacturing phases of AcubeSAT by A. F. Retselis, C. Athanasiadou, M. Giannoulis, K. Kanavouras and V.P. Moustakas
A conference paper analyzing the lessons learned from Phase B, C and D of the AcubeSAT mission.
CENSSAT-1: A space weather mission and an educational platform by A. F. Retselis et al.
A conference paper detailing the CENSSAT-1 mission and how it is used to train master and PhD students in Norway.
Image-based orbit determination of the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system using the Hera spacecraft by A. F. Retselis
My master thesis for the MSc degree in Computational Physics, where I explored a method to determine the orbit of Didymos-Dimorphos using simulated images taken from the Hera spacecraft.
Adaptation of the AcubeSAT nanosatellite project into remote working during the COVID-19 era by A. F. Retselis, T. Papafotiou and K. Kanavouras
A conference paper for the 4th Symposium on Space Educational Activities where the transition to remote work for the AcubeSAT project is detailed.
Orbital analysis and the spin-orbit coupling problem for the AcubeSAT mission by A. Anthopoulos and A. F. Retselis
My bachelor thesis for the Degree in Physics, where we explored the orbital analysis for the AcubeSAT mission and the possibility of using the spin-orbit coupling problem for the design of the spacecraft.
