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About

Zixuan Zheng is an emerging researcher specializing in space robotics, on-orbit servicing, and autonomous manipulation of non-cooperative targets — a frontier area critical to the future of sustainable space operations. His work addresses one of the field's most pressing challenges: safely capturing and detumbling uncooperative or tumbling space debris without relying on conventional grasping mechanisms. Zheng's most-cited contribution, "Trajectory tracking for repeated-impact-based detumbling using a multi-arm space robot" (2023, 18 citations), demonstrates his innovative approach to eliminating rotational motion in tumbling targets through controlled repeated contacts — a technique further refined in his 2022 work on tentative contact-based detumbling. His trajectory optimization research extends this thinking to frictional contact manipulation, offering adaptable solutions where traditional capture methods fall short. Beyond detumbling, Zheng has made notable contributions to unfirm-capture filtering, dynamic manipulability assessment, and model-free control for post-capture spacecraft operations. His 2025 work on non-prehensile manipulation signals a forward-looking research trajectory, reducing reliance on target-specific hardware and broadening robotic adaptability in orbit. With over 55 cumulative citations and publications spanning trajectory optimization, robust control, and state estimation, Zheng's body of work positions him as a promising voice in next-generation space debris removal and on-orbit servicing technology.