Miguel A. Nunes

Miguel A. Nunes serves as Assistant Researcher and Deputy Director at the Hawaiʻi Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL) within the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's College of Engineering. Specializing in small satellite design and multi-agent robotic systems, he leads systems engineering for missions like Neutron-1 and HyTI, while teaching space systems design in programs including the Vertical Integrated Project Aerospace Technologies and Earth and Planetary Exploration Technology (EPET) capstone courses.

• PhD in Aerospace Engineering (2010) focusing on autonomous satellite swarm control
• Developed COSMOS mission operations system for managing multiple spacecraft
• Key work in thermal control systems for hyperspectral imagers and satellite constellations

His 10+ years of subsystem expertise spans ADCS, OBC, flight software, and radio communications. Recent publications highlight advancements in T2SL detector arrays and active thermal management for CubeSats. As Deputy-PI for HyTI mission, he contributes to volcanic monitoring and agricultural sensing applications through high-resolution thermal imaging.

Research trends show consistent focus on distributed satellite systems and autonomous operations, transitioning from foundational work on multi-agent control to current applications in Earth observation constellations. His collaborations span JPL, NASA, and Saraniasat Inc., with technical contributions to 6U CubeSat standardization and onboard computing architectures.