My research combines astrodynamics, numerical optimization, and economic analysis to assess the feasibility of space missions, with a focus on asteroid and lunar resources. I also have experience in satellite constellation analysis. I hold an M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from K. N. Toosi University of Technology, where my thesis focused on asteroid-mission design and space-resource feasibility.
Research interests: Astrodynamics and mission design; flight dynamics and control; aerospace systems design; computational modeling and optimization.
Published papers and ongoing manuscripts
Mojtaba Namvar, Ebrahim Amiri, and Mahdi Jafari-Nadoushan. IEEE Access, 14, 11821–11833.
A geometric coverage evaluator coupled to particle swarm optimization for sizing constellations that maintain simultaneous access to one or more satellites.
Continuous n-fold coverage means keeping every location in a target region visible to at least n satellites throughout the evaluation period. This study concentrates the coverage calculation at footprint-boundary intersections, where gaps can first emerge. Local satellite directions and contributions from overlapping footprints determine the coverage count at each critical point.
Reported result. In the tested cases, the critical-point evaluator reduced execution time while retaining the coverage decisions of the comparison methods. The examples below show how increasing simultaneous coverage requirements changes the feasible constellation size.
Reported feasible designs from the optimization study; these counts are specific to the stated assumptions and are not proven global minima.
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Enlarge figure ↗Scope: the numerical study assumes symmetric Walker–Delta constellations, a spherical Earth, circular footprints, and sufficient footprint overlap within the target region. Asymmetric configurations require time propagation and further assessment.
Ebrahim Amiri, Masoome Khani Chamani, Mahdi Jafari-Nodoshan, Sajjad Ghazanfarinia, and Masoud Khoshsima. Journal of Space Science and Technology, 17(3), 1–14. [in Persian]
Uses economic valuation, fuzzy analysis, and sensitivity analysis to compare candidate lunar materials and the conditions under which exploitation may become viable. Connects commercial feasibility with sustainable exploration.
Ebrahim Amiri and Mahdi Jafari-Nadoushan. Aerospace Knowledge and Technology Journal, 11(1), 97–114. [in Persian]
Compares optimized Earth–Ryugu, Earth–Itokawa, and Earth–Bennu round trips using ephemeris data and multi-objective ΔV–duration Pareto analysis.
Ebrahim Amiri and Mahdi Jafari-Nadoushan. Journal of Technology in Aerospace Engineering, 5(1), 1–13. [in Persian]
Examines accessible near-Earth asteroids from technical, economic, and legal perspectives, with particular attention to regulatory uncertainty and investment risk.
Niki Sajjad, Ali Zeinalian, Alireza Amirkhani, Zahra Arabtelgerd, and Ebrahim Amiri. 72nd International Astronautical Congress, Dubai. IAC-21,A6,IP,20,x66306.
Presents the conceptual design, trajectory planning, and six-degree-of-freedom simulation of a 2 kg autonomous guided parafoil payload-recovery system.
Ebrahim Amiri and Mahdi Jafari-Nadoushan. Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence. 2026. Under review.
An integrated framework for comparing asteroid-water supply missions through target screening, trajectory optimization, mass budgeting, and mission economics.
This study examines near-Earth asteroids as potential sources of water for future refueling infrastructure in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO). It combines orbital and compositional screening, JPL HORIZONS ephemerides, impulsive Lambert transfers, resource-processing assumptions, and discounted cash-flow analysis in one decision-support workflow.
An NSGA-II optimizer varies departure date, outbound flight time, asteroid stay time, and return flight time to balance total spacecraft ΔV, mission duration, and net present value (NPV). Bennu, Ryugu, and 2008 EV5 are evaluated under common technical and economic assumptions.
Key finding. Under the baseline assumptions, Ryugu offers the broadest economically attractive region of the trade space. A representative knee-region solution balances maneuver demand, duration, and return, while sensitivity analysis identifies delivered water mass, GEO selling price, and extraction throughput as the main economic drivers.
Table 5 reports a baseline NPV of $133.53 million in FY 2026 USD. This is a single-sortie result that excludes the separately reported $280 million development cost; it is not a full-program investment return.
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Scope: early-stage comparison using two-body dynamics, impulsive maneuvers, a simplified GEO insertion model, and assumed extraction and market inputs. GEO phasing, rendezvous, and proximity-operation costs are omitted. Monte Carlo drivers are varied one at a time, so the distributions do not represent joint mission risk.
Research manuscript in preparation.
Investigates relative guidance, uncertainty propagation, and collision avoidance for autonomous proximity operations. Comparative evaluation is still in progress.
This manuscript in preparation investigates uncertainty-aware autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations for in-space servicing, inspection, refueling, active debris removal, and assembly. It focuses on navigation errors, dynamic uncertainties, and collision safety when approaching uncertain or non-cooperative targets.
The planned study combines relative orbital dynamics, robust guidance, uncertainty propagation, and real-time collision avoidance in a high-fidelity chaser–target simulation. The guidance framework considers keep-out zones, safety constraints, and contingency trajectory corrections, with a conventional nominal rendezvous approach as the comparison baseline.
The evaluation is planned around Monte Carlo simulations varying initial relative states, navigation errors, and maneuver uncertainties. It will assess collision avoidance, propellant consumption, rendezvous duration, and mission completion performance. The manuscript is in preparation, with comparative evaluation still to be completed.
Keywords: Autonomous rendezvous; proximity operations; in-space servicing; relative navigation; robust guidance; collision avoidance; model predictive control; uncertainty propagation; spacecraft autonomy.
Research and engineering roles
Work under review and in preparation
Kerman Regional Water Company · Applied research project
Pangan Electronic Co. · Industrial instrumentation and automation
Space Research Laboratory · K. N. Toosi University of Technology
Academic background
K. N. Toosi University of Technology
Thesis supervisor: Mahdi Jafari-Nadoushan
مدلسازی فنی، اقتصادی و حقوقی بهرهبرداری از منابع معدنی سیارکهای نزدیک زمین
Research summary
Modeled Earth–asteroid round trips to Ryugu, Itokawa, and Bennu using heliocentric Lambert transfers and an impulsive-propulsion approximation. NSGA-II explored two-objective (ΔV and duration) and three-objective (ΔV, duration, and modeled mission profit) trade spaces; Pareto fronts were analyzed and selected minimum-ΔV solutions checked against published references. A separate legal chapter reviewed international treaties, national resource laws, and possible governance approaches. The economic results are scenario-dependent, and the thesis identifies uncertain target composition as a reason for further characterization before investment decisions.
Coursework: Advanced Orbital Mechanics; Spacecraft Dynamics and Control; Space Mission Design; Space Systems Design.
Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman
Coursework areas: Numerical methods; fluid mechanics and hydraulics; mechanics of materials and structural analysis; remote sensing; engineering economics.
Competition achievements and academic projects
RECOVE Team · First place in the 2021 Rahneshan conceptual design competition, organized by Iran’s National Elites Foundation. The team developed an autonomous guided parafoil concept for recovering a microsatellite payload at a designated landing location.
My contribution: Researched and evaluated recovery concepts and contributed to the electrical power subsystem as part of the RECOVE team’s autonomous guided parafoil project.
Modular architecture using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components, with hardware selection and placement constrained by mass, volume, operating environment, landing accuracy, and cost.
The team’s work included airfoil and aerodynamic analysis, six-degree-of-freedom modeling with disturbances, and autonomous guidance and control simulation. The Simulink model connected environmental inputs, force and moment equations, flight dynamics, and guidance commands.
Simulation and reliability assessment were considered alongside a test and verification plan, applicable standards, estimated manufacturing costs, and a proposed build schedule.
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Simulated trajectories projected onto the X–Y, X–Z, and Y–Z planes. Figures are reproduced from the team’s IAC 2021 presentation in their original row order.
Related publication: Conceptual Design and Flight Simulation of Small Satellite Payload Recovery System Using an Autonomous Guided Parafoil Based on COTS · IAC 2021.
SRL-Sat Team · Recognized as the top team in the conceptual design stage (Phase I) of the scientific and industrial CubeSat design and manufacturing competition, qualifying for the simulation stage.
The three-month system design study developed the mission concept, low Earth orbit and ground station access analyses, spacecraft architecture, subsystem interfaces, a three-dimensional configuration, and an engineering plan for integration and manufacturing.
My contribution: Designed the power distribution architecture and voltage interfaces required to supply the spacecraft’s subsystems. Held responsibility for the electrical power group and contributed to thermal control design.
Communications CubeSat operating in low Earth orbit with a defined link to the ground segment.
6U bus with deployable solar arrays and antennas, payload, radiator panel, and internally packaged subsystem stack.
Requirements, functional architecture, mass and volume budgets, subsystem interfaces, and configuration validation.
Design documentation supporting component selection, integration, verification, cost, and manufacturing planning.
The design provides regulated 3.3 V, 5 V, and 12 V buses, together with an unregulated 8.3 V line, to accommodate the voltage requirements of individual subsystem loads.
The distribution design includes thermal sensors on the 3.3 V bus and a battery heater on the unregulated 8.3 V line. The spacecraft layout also incorporates a radiator panel.
Power interfaces cover attitude control, onboard data handling, communications, thermal control, and deployment mechanisms. Payload power is allocated according to its requirements.
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TOOSI Constellation Team · Proposed a space-based maritime communications network; awarded third place in a national satellite-constellation design competition organized by the Iranian Space Agency and Kayhan Space Innovation Center.
My contribution: Contributed to CubeSat electrical power design (solar generation, battery storage, power regulation, and distribution) and to business and financial analysis (cash-flow estimates, target-market assessment, and evaluation of commercial feasibility under limited data availability).
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Project: Launch-vehicle guidance implementation and 3-DOF simulation.
Project: LEO remote-sensing mission design; CubeSat attitude control.
Project: Wind-turbine modeling using bond graphs.
Engineering methods, software, and analysis
Python · MATLAB · Simulink · Numerical modeling · Data mining · Time-series forecasting · Machine learning
STK · ArcGIS · 20-sim · Missile DATCOM
Lambert transfers · NSGA-II · PSO/MOPSO · Pareto analysis · Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis · Constellation coverage · ISRU mass budgeting · Numerical optimization · Mission trade studies · Systems engineering
Techno-economic and financial modeling · Academic writing · Technical literature and documentation review · Familiarity with ECSS standards
Microsoft Visio · Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) · EndNote · Adobe Illustrator
Training, service, and qualifications
Persian: Native
English: Professional working proficiency.
Persian-language collaborative volume · in preparation
My writing focuses on draft Chapter 6, Space Law, and Chapter 7, Space Economics. The legal chapter examines current international rules, gaps affecting resource use, and possible elements of a clearer governance framework. The economics chapter connects demand for resources in space with extraction costs, mission feasibility, valuation methods, and illustrative asteroid-mining scenarios.
The wider book is planned to cover candidate celestial bodies, asteroid composition and orbits, surveying and extraction methods, spacecraft systems, trajectory design, and the history and future of resource missions. These topics describe the volume’s scope; my stated contribution is the legal and economic writing.
Peer review: Reviewed one manuscript for Acta Astronautica.
Elsevier reviewer recognition · September 2026Conference service: Executive staff, 14th National Conference on Irrigation and Evaporation Reduction.
Swimming, mixed martial arts, reading, music, and strategy games.
Open to PhD opportunities and research collaboration.
“Nor you nor I can read the etern decree,
To that enigma we can find no key;
They talk of you and me behind the veil,
But, if that veil be lifted, where are we?”