LabCompass

Athul Pradeepkumar Girija

Physics and Astronomy · Purdue University West Lafayette

Early career · publishing since 2018Rising activity

Publications

42

Citations

255

Est. group size

~1

Recurring co-author estimate

Active years

9

Publishing since 2018

Research summary
AI-generated

This researcher works on spacecraft mission design for exploring planets and moons in our solar system, with a particular focus on 'aerocapture' — a technique that uses a planet's atmosphere to slow down and capture a spacecraft into orbit instead of relying solely on fuel-based braking. Their work includes designing mission concepts for destinations such as Titan, Uranus, Venus, Mars, and Neptune, and analyzing entry, descent, and landing systems and thermal protection technologies needed for these missions.

Aerocapture and atmospheric entry technologyPlanetary and moon exploration mission designSpacecraft trajectory and orbit designThermal protection systems for entry vehiclesMission architecture analysis tools

Publications were low but steady from 2018-2022, spiked sharply in 2023 with 19 outputs, then dropped in 2024 before resuming at a more modest pace in 2025-2026.

Generated by claude-sonnet-5 from public bibliographic data · Jul 20, 2026

Publication cadence
Publications per year over the last 10 years — averaging 5.4/year recently
172018: 2 publications182019: 3 publications192020: 4 publications202021: 6 publications212022: 3 publications222023: 19 publications1923242025: 4 publications252026: 1 publication26
Recent publications
Publishes in
  • arXiv (Cornell University)×15
  • Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets×3
  • Acta Astronautica×2
  • Aerospace×2
  • Journal of Terramechanics×1
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This profile was generated automatically from public scholarly data (OpenAlex). Group size and activity levels are estimates derived from co-authorship patterns.

Last updated Jul 20, 2026.

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