Personal statement

A professional space technology engineer, academic & director with a strong, proven and international record of accomplishment. I am the Director of the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, and a Non-Executive Board Member of the UK Space Agency.

I was awarded the 2016 Royal Society of Edinburgh Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane Medal in recognition of my “outstanding research work in the development and application of space mission systems to challenge conventional ideas and advance new concepts in the exploration and exploitation of space.”

Distinctively for an engineer, my publications are in journals such as Scientific Reports, and Physical Review E, as well as top-ranking engineering journals. I also led the development of “The International Handbook of Space Technology”, which has sixty contributing authors, including high-profile contributors from Japan, the USA and Europe.

I was the only non-US member of a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s committee on ‘Achieving Science Goals with CubeSats’, and I am one of only two European Associate Editors of the Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics, the top-ranked archival journal in Aerospace Engineering. I am a member of Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Study Group on ‘Small Satellites for Space Sciences’, as well as providing expert advice to, amongst others, the Institute for Defense Analyses, Science and Technology Policy Institute, based in Washington, D.C.

Expertise

Has expertise in:

Space Mission Analysis & Design
Space Technology
Astrodynamics
Swarm Engineering
Network Systems
Systems Engineering
Technology Roadmapping and Analysis
Technical Foresight & Horizon Scanning
Advanced Concepts
CubeSats
Modelling & Simulation

Publications

Relative Orbit Determination Using Only Intersatellite Range Measurements: Qin Tong, Qiao Dong, Macdonald Malcolm; Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics Vol 42, pp. 703 (2019)
Temporal encoding to reject background signals in a low complexity, photon counting communication link: Griffiths Alexander D, Herrnsdorf Johannes, Lowe Christopher, Macdonald Malcolm, Henderson Robert, Strain Michael J, Dawson Martin D; Materials Vol 11 (2018); https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11091671
Incorporating solar activity into general perturbations analysis of atmospheric friction: Kerr Emma, Macdonald Malcolm; Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics Vol 41, pp. 1320-1336 (2018); https://doi.org/10.2514/1.G003229
Orbit period modulation for relative motion using continuous low thrust in the two-body and restricted three-body problems: Arnot C S, McInnes C R, McKay R J, Macdonald M, Biggs J; Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy Vol 130 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1007/s10569-017-9807-3
Energy-saving capture at Mars via backward stable orbits: Li Xiangyu, Qiao Dong, Macdonald Malcolm; Journal of Guidance, Control and Dynamics (2018)
Combined high and low-thrust geostationary orbit insertion with radiation constraint: Macdonald Malcolm, Owens Steven Robert; Acta Astronautica Vol 142, pp. 1-9 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2017.10.011

more publications

Research interests

Distinctively my work spans both the upstream space sector (building and operating spacecraft), and downstream space sector (the services and data that come from the spacecraft). With a focus on the end-to-end development and application of space mission systems my work enables new space-derived data product concepts through advances in space technology.

My specific interests are in the use of advanced concepts, such as solar sailing, and multi-spacecraft platforms to enable new space services through the application of concepts from networked systems and swarm engineering, combined with astrodynamics and space system design. The recent development of small, low-cost spacecraft has led to increased interest in deploying large or even very-large constellations of spacecraft to enable new space-derived datasets and services. To-date, this remains challenging due to the limited resources on-board such platforms coupled with the limited payload capacity. By spanning the up and downstream my fundamental research is developing the means to maximise the performance of these resource-limited, low-cost platforms to enable radical enhancements of, or completely new space-derived services and data. As such my research seeks to develop concepts in, and applications of space technology, including solar sailing, nanosatellites, and constellations, by developing research into astrodynamics, networked systems, swarming, and distributed and collaborative systems.

Professional activities

Agile Satellite Systems for Responsive Earth Observation: Invited speaker; 16/10/2018
Faculty Robotics and Automation Users Group Discussion: Participant; 10/10/2017
Springer-Velag, Berlin, Heidelberg (Publisher): Editor; 2014

more professional activities

Projects

Aquasens: Macdonald, Malcolm (Principal Investigator); 03-Jan-2018 - 31-Jan-2019
Comms QT Hub Partnership Resource III: Oi, Daniel (Principal Investigator) Macdonald, Malcolm (Co-investigator) Lowe, Christopher (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2018 - 31-Jan-2018
CMSIN-II (CEOI Resubmission) Compact Multi-Spectral Imager for Nanosatellites II: Oi, Daniel (Principal Investigator) Griffin, Paul (Co-investigator) Jeffers, John (Co-investigator) Macdonald, Malcolm (Co-investigator) Marshall, Stephen (Co-investigator) Murray, Paul (Co-investigator) Lowe, Christopher (Research Co-investigator); 23-Jan-2018 - 22-Jan-2019
Reconfigurable, Agile Spacecraft Constellation Architectures: Macdonald, Malcolm (Principal Investigator) McGrath, Ciara (Research Co-investigator); 01-Jan-2018 - 31-Jan-2019
Augmentation of Future QKD Networks with CubeSat Systems: Lowe, Christopher (Principal Investigator) Macdonald, Malcolm (Co-investigator) Oi, Daniel (Co-investigator); The pace of space-based Quantum Key Distribution is now accelerating, with a number of proof-of-concept missions deployed or planned. Within the UK, the QUARC (QUAntum Research CubeSat) team has been progressing key enabling quantum technologies targeting minaturised satellite platforms. While it is known that CubeSats offer a cost effective and potentially disruptive demonstration opportunity, the extent to which these small satellites can augment emerging QKD ground and space based capability is yet to be addressed. This requires aligning the operational concept for CubeSat based QKD missions to the business needs of telecom providers and infrastructure. The work will bring together the mission and system design and enabling technologies with the context and timelines for deploying into these larger telecom driven system-of-systems. It will identify the feasibility of specific niches for exploitation by CubeSats as QKD matures based on these use cases, and work both with investors and segment suppliers to deliver an attractive and costed package providing a feasible route to market. In addressing an application market, the service level agreements and resultant CubeSat mission assurance necessary will be critical with buy-in from all stakeholders and tested with end users. The work will further inform technology development activities ensuring that effective technology or service raising opportunities can be taken. The innovation focus for this feasibility study is establishing the scope for CubeSats to augment the emergence and delivery of wider QKD networks, providing business context for enabling technology development, and generating a realistic baseline of the mission assurance necessary to satisfy end users and investors.; 01-Jan-2018 - 28-Jan-2019
EPSRC Global Challenges Research Fund Institutional Sponsorship Award 2017 (GCRF) / R171051-107: Macdonald, Malcolm (Principal Investigator); 01-Jan-2017 - 31-Jan-2018

more projects

Address

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
James Weir Building

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