Jekan Thangavelautham

Jekan Thanga heads the Space and Terrestrial Robotic Exploration (SpaceTREx) Laboratory and the NASA-supported ASTEROIDS (Asteroid Science, Technology and Exploration Research Organized by Inclusive eDucation Systems) Laboratory at the University of Arizona. His research develops autonomous and AI-enabled robotic systems that will enable humanity's sustained exploration and development of the Moon, asteroids, and other planetary bodies through robotic construction, autonomous infrastructure, distributed robotic systems, and in-situ resource utilization.

Jekan has a background in aerospace engineering from the University of Toronto. Prior to joining academia, he worked at MDA Space Missions on several landmark space robotics programs, including Canadarm, Canadarm2, and the DARPA Orbital Express autonomous spacecraft servicing mission. He received his Ph.D. in Space Robotics from the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) and completed his postdoctoral training at MIT's Field and Space Robotics Laboratory (FSRL).

His research spans autonomous lunar infrastructure, robotic excavation and construction, modular space structures, spacecraft swarms, autonomous assembly, small spacecraft, CubeSats, machine learning, artificial intelligence, guidance, navigation and control, deployable systems, communications, power systems, and resilient robotic operations in extreme environments. His laboratory develops technologies that progress from computational design and high-fidelity simulation to hardware prototyping, field testing, and ultimately flight missions.

Many of the technologies developed for planetary exploration are also applied to terrestrial challenges, including autonomous construction, mining, disaster response, environmental monitoring, critical infrastructure, and other hazardous environments where robotic systems improve safety, resilience, and operational capability.

Jekan has authored or co-authored more than 250 technical publications, 400 technical contributions, secured more than $17 million in competitive research funding from NASA, the U.S. Space Force, AFRL, NSF, and industry, and is an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). He and his students have received numerous national and international awards, including the Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award, multiple NASA competition awards, and Best Paper Awards. In recognition of his contributions to astronautics and space robotics, the International Astronomical Union named Asteroid (20460) JekanThanga in his honor.