Welcome to the Space Systems Operations Research Laboratory at WVU!
The Space Systems Operations Research Laboratory (SSORL) is a newly formed research laboratory in the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering at West Virginia University. Led by Dr. Hang Woon Lee, we are dedicated to advancing the field of space systems operations research through the development of innovative mathematical modeling techniques and optimization methods for tackling complex decision-making problems that arise during the life cycle of a space system.Research
What is Space Systems Operations Research?
Space systems operations research combines operations research, astrodynamics,
and space systems engineering to optimize the design, operation, and management
of space systems, while accounting for mission feasibility and operational risks,
enhancing their performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
The following are the methods and the application domains of our research:
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Methods:
- Modeling & Simulation
- Graph theoretic modeling, complex networks, information theory
- Mathematical optimization
- Discrete optimization, decomposition-based techniques
- Nonlinear programming, large-scale multidisciplinary design optimization
- Artificial intelligence
- Modeling & Simulation
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Application Domains:
- Distributed satellite systems
- Satellite constellations, formation flying, satellite networks
- Earth observations, telecommunications, positioning, navigation & timing
- In-space mobility (orbital maneuvers, constellation reconfiguration)
- Cislunar space
- Space traffic management
- Orbital debris remediation
- Space domain awareness
- On-orbit servicing & space logistics
- Distributed satellite systems
Prospective Students
We are seeking highly motivated
graduate and undergraduate students to join our team and conduct cross-disciplinary
research at SSORL.
- Ph.D. Positions
- Start date: Fall 2025
- Areas of focus: stochastic optimization, network theory, artificial intelligence, space traffic management
- Hold an accredited B.S. or M.S. in aerospace/mechanical engineering, operations research, industrial engineering, computer science, mathematics, remote sensing, or related disciplines.
- M.S. in aerospace engineering is preferred, but not required.
- Minimum GPA of 3.5 on of 4.0 scale.
- If interested, please send an email expressing your interest to Dr. Lee with
- Curriculum vitae and select publications, if any.
- It is strongly recommended to submit your admission application to WVU's Ph.D. program in Aerospace Engineering prior to initiating contact.
- M.S. Positions
- We are seeking M.S. students to join us year-round. Contact Dr. Lee for more information.
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Undergraduate Research Opportunities
- As an undergraduate research assistant at SSORL, you have the opportunity to participate in various research projects. You can choose to engage in ongoing research or initiate your own independent projects. There are several ways to get involved, including:
- Undergraduate research assistantships
- Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP)
- Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)
- MAE 495 - Independent Study
- All majors and backgrounds are welcome to apply.
- If interested, please send an email to Dr. Lee expressing your interest along with your résumé.
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Contact: Dr. Hang Woon Lee at hangwoon.lee@mail.wvu.edu.
News
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07/2025The SSORL's NASA ECF Project Team delivered the Annual Technical Seminar at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, providing an overview of our latest findings on the application of space-based lasers for orbital debris remediation!
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06/2025Dr. Lee and David visited the COMET Lab at KAIST (PI: Dr. Changhyun Kwon) and gave a seminar.
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06/2025Dr. Lee and David visited TelePIX in Seoul, South Korea, and delivered a presentation on the research work we have conducted with TelePIX!
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05/2025A new journal article on distributed space‑resource logistics architecture optimization, co‑authored with Evagenlika and Dr. Chen, has been published in the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets!
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04/2025Congratulations to Jonah Forinash, an undergraduate researcher in our lab, for being awarded the Undergraduate Research Fellowship program from the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium!
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03/2025David and Brycen presented their papers at the 2025 IEEE Aerospace Conference in Big Sky, MT!
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01/2025A new journal article by Brycen and Logan on benchmarking agility and reconfigurability in satellite systems has been published in the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets!
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01/2025Our lab presented six papers at the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum in Orlando, FL, including four lead-author (Brycen, Matt, and David) and two co-authored papers!
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12/2024Our lab hosted the first WVU Space Systems & Operations Research Symposium in Morgantown, WV, with Dr. Zeyu Liu's group!
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12/2024The research team funded by NASA OTPS (including Dr. Lee) attended and delivered the final presentation on their research at the Space Sustainability Symposium held at NASA Headquarters.
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11/2024Dr. Lee gave an invited lecture at the Heterogeneous Satellite constellation based ISR Research Center (HSRC) Workshop.
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11/2024New journal article by Henry, Matt, and Dominic on cislunar space domain awareness published in the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets!
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11/2024Congratulations to Brycen for being awarded the Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Fund for his upcoming presentation at the 2025 AIAA SciTech Forum!
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11/2024Congratulations to Jonah Forinash, an undergraduate researcher in our lab, for being awarded the Undergraduate Affiliate Fellowship Program from the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium!
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10/2024David won the student poster competition at the All Voices as One conference in Morgantown, WV!
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08/2024Trupti (presenter), Dominic, and Jacob presented their research at the 2024 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference in Broomfield, CO!
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08/2024We are excited to begin a new NASA SBIR Phase I research project with TMC Technologies!
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07/2024David has been selected as the Dianne Dubetz Anderson Fellow by the Statler College for the 2024-25 academic year. Congratulations!
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07/2024We are excited to welcome graduate student Gavin Baker to the research lab!
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06/2024We are excited to begin a new research project sponsored by the NASA WV EPSCoR Research Seed Grant!
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06/2024The SSORL's NASA ECF Project Team presented a seminar at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on the application of space-based lasers for the remediation of orbital debris!
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06/2024Henry successfully defended his M.S. thesis. Congratulations!
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06/2024We are excited to welcome graduate student Dominic Amato to the research lab!
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04/2024Matthew Fox has received the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium Graduate Research Fellowship Award!
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01/2024Dr. Lee has received the Herbert P. Dripps Faculty Fellowship!
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01/2024A paper, in collaboration with Dr. Smriti Nandan Paul (MAE, Missouri S&T), was presented at the 2024 AIAA SciTech in Orlando, FL.
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01/2024We are excited to welcome graduate student Trupti Gosavi to the research lab!
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10/2023David presented his latest research at the 2023 AIAA ASCEND conference in Las Vegas, NV!
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10/2023WVU Today has released a news article covering our latest research project!
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08/2023Dr. Lee received the 2023 NASA Early Career Faculty (ECF) award!
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08/2023Two of our graduate students, Brycen Pearl and Henry Clareson, presented their research at the 2023 AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference in Big Sky, MT!
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08/2023We would like to welcome Dr. Jae-ik Park from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute as a visiting scholar to our research group!
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07/2023A new paper on satellite constellation reconfiguration has been published in the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets.
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07/2023Dr. Lee will collaborate with Dr. Hao Chen at Stevens Institute of Technology on a new research projected funded by the NASA's Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy.
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06/2023We are excited to share the news that our proposal to the NASA EPSCoR Rapid Response Research has been selected for funding!
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06/2023We are excited to begin a new research project sponsored by the NASA WV EPSCoR Research Seed Grant!
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06/2023Matthew Fox, previously an undergraduate researcher, joined our research group as a graduate member!
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03/2023We presented a total of three posters at the Graduate Student Research Symposium during the Statler College Research Week!
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01/2023We are excited to welcome graduate student David Williams Rogers to the research group!
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01/2023We are excited to begin a new research project sponsored by TelePIX!
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11/2022Dr. Lee is recognized as an Excellent Reviewer for the Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics for the period of Oct. 1, 2021-Sept. 30, 2022.
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11/2022Congratulations to Matthew Fox, an undergraduate researcher in our group, for being awarded the Undergraduate Affiliate Fellowship Program from the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium for his research proposal on cislunar SDA!
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10/2022Our paper, in collaboration with Dr. Zeyu Liu (IMSE, WVU), has been accepted for presentation at the 33rd AAS/AIAA Space Flight Mechanics Meeting, Austin, TX, in January 2023!
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08/2022We are excited to welcome graduate students Brycen Pearl and Thomas (Henry) Clareson to the research group!
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03/2022Hang Woon will be joining the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at West Virginia University as an Assistant Professor of Space Systems.
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