Filippo Mascellani, PhD student at the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DAER) of Politecnico di Milano, has been awarded the 3rd Best Paper Award at the 5th IAA Conference on Space Situational Awareness (ICSSA), held at GMV in Tres Cantos, Madrid.
The recognition was granted for the paper titled “A Dual-Architecture Deep Learning Framework for Enhanced Satellite Conjunction Assessment and Temporal Evolution Prediction”, co-authored with Michele Maestrini and Pierluigi Di Lizia.
The awarded work presents an innovative dual-architecture deep learning framework designed to support Space Situational Awareness (SSA) activities, with a particular focus on satellite conjunction assessment, namely the identification and prediction of potentially hazardous close approaches between space objects.
The proposed methodology integrates two complementary modules: a first component dedicated to the rapid screening of orbital object pairs, aimed at reducing the computational burden of large-scale all-versus-all analyses, and a second component focused on forecasting the temporal evolution of conjunction events using sequences of Conjunction Data Messages.
This approach contributes to the development of more scalable, efficient, and reliable tools for future operational scenarios, including increasingly automated Space Traffic Management systems and, potentially, distributed or on-board applications.
The conference provided a valuable opportunity to engage with the international SSA community and to receive positive feedback on the research.
The award highlights the scientific contribution of the work in the field of artificial intelligence applied to space safety and collision risk management in orbit.