Shinichi Nakasuka

About

Shinichi Nakasuka is a pioneering aerospace engineer whose research spans on-orbit servicing, space robotics, and novel space architectures. He is best known for proposing the “Tethered Retriever,” a small space robot tethered to a service satellite for retrieving failed spacecraft or assembling orbital structures—a concept that has garnered 24 citations and influenced future on-orbit mission designs. His work on orbital maintenance systems, demonstrated through experiments using Micro-LabSat 1, has also been highly cited (24 citations), advancing the practical maturation of space activities. Nakasuka has contributed to innovative space power transmission concepts, including the “Furoshiki” satellite system for deploying large antennas, validated through rocket experiments. His research extends to swarm robotics and autonomous learning, where he developed reinforcement learning methods for fail-safe multi-robot cooperation without communication—a critical contribution to fault-tolerant space systems. With over 140 citations across his most influential papers, Nakasuka’s work bridges theoretical robotics and real-world space engineering, making him a key figure in the development of autonomous, resilient space infrastructure.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Robustness of AI-based prognostic and systems health management

   32 citations · 2021
2. 2
   Guidance and Control of "Tethered Retriever" with Collaborative Tension-Thruster Control for Future On-Orbit Service Missions

   24 citations · 2005
3. 3
   Preliminary experiments on technologies for satellite orbital maintenance using Micro-LabSat 1

   24 citations · 2004
4. 4
   Rocket experiment on microwave power transmission with Furoshiki deployment

   14 citations · 2009
5. 5
   Learning model for adaptive behaviors as an organized group of swarm robots

   14 citations · 1998
6. 6
   Autonomous generation of reflexion-based robot controller using inductive learning

   13 citations · 1996
7. 7
   Autonomous reconstruction of state space for learning of robot behavior

   10 citations · 2002
8. 8
   A reinforcement learning approach to fail-safe design for multiple space robots—cooperation mechanism without communication and negotiation schemes

   5 citations · 2003
9. 9
   Rocket Experiment on Construction of Huge Transmitting Antenna for the SPS Using Furoshiki Satellite System with Robots

   4 citations · 2004
10. 10
    Fault tolerance in a multiple robots organization based on an organizational learning model

    4 citations · 2002

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links