Hi, I am Gabriella.

I'm a Master's student in Aerospace Engineering at Cornell, graduating in 2025. I've worked on spacecraft dynamics research, led the design of light sail deployers, and gained industry experience at Vast Space improving hardware manufacturing. I'm passionate about space habitation.

Feel free to scroll through my portfolio to see more of my work and projects.

View Projects

Sailing to the Stars: Mechanical Lead Control Moment Gyroscope: Mechanical Design Lead Sailing to the Stars: Controls Co-Lead

Projects and Experience

Sailing to the Stars: Mechanical Lead

The Sailing to the Stars team is dedicated to testing deployers for light sails equipped with shape-memory alloy frames. This mission aims to deepen our understanding of how nitinol wireframes influence attitude kinematics during light sail deployment in microgravity. The experiment was launched on Crew-11 in July 2025, and these tests were conducted by an astronaut aboard the ISS, with recordings sent back to our team for detailed analysis.

🚀 Deployment on ISS 📰 ASME Featured Article 💼 LinkedIn Company

1. Mission Context

Sailing to the Stars develops and tests light sail deployers with nitinol (SMA) frames.

Deployed to the ISS aboard Crew-11 (July 2025).

Goal: study deployment dynamics and rotational behavior in microgravity.

2. My Role

Mechanical Lead (Aug 2024–May 2025).

Led design and fabrication of 3D-printed single- and double-door deployers.

Managed a sub-team, oversaw integration with avionics, and coordinated full testing.

3. Technical Contributions

CAD design and 3D printing optimization for flight hardware
Designed safety mechanisms (latch, safety pin, filament actuator) and improved them after testing
Mass-produced light sails with SMA frames, integrated into deployers
Conducted deployment tests (door actuation, sail deployment, hard drive spin-up)
Solved actuator overheating and fishing line tension issues with design iterations, Kapton tape, and epoxy reinforcement
Labeled IR remote and refined user interfaces for astronaut usability
Prepared and tested eight payloads + three avionics units for flight

4. Project Visuals

Single Door Deployer Exploded View

5. Outcomes

Delivered flight-ready units, verified at NASA facilities in Florida. Launched July 2025 on Crew-11, with deployment tests conducted aboard the ISS. Work to be presented at ISSS2025 (Delft University of Technology).

6. Skills Demonstrated

CAD, 3D printing, and hardware prototyping
Systems integration (mechanical + avionics)
Testing under spaceflight constraints (safety, vibration, reliability)
Team leadership, scheduling, and cross-disciplinary collaboration

Single Door Deployer

Double Door Deployer

Control Moment Gyroscope: Mechanical Design Lead

This project focuses on designing and prototyping control moment gyroscopes (CMGs) to advance the development and testing of space technology. Four CMGs are mounted onto a large-scale test facility to simulate spacecraft motion and evaluate the performance of attitude control systems. The primary design objectives for the CMGs are minimizing mass, increasing stiffness, and maximizing output torque to enhance the testbed simulator's capabilities. Funded by the New York Space Consortium through a DoD Defense Manufacturing Community Program, this large-scale test facility serves as a platform to develop a fully integrated spacecraft attitude control subsystem. The system features propulsion, communications, inertial measurement units (IMU), and structural components. Leveraging an air-bearing setup to simulate the zero-gravity environment of space, this facility allows for testing of attitude maneuvers. The newly designed CMG will improve the capabilities of the Large-scale air-bearing space simulator and improve CMG spacecraft attitude control concepts.

CMG Assembly

Project Visuals

CMG Exploded View

Photo Gallery

1. Context

Part of the Satellite Domain Awareness Simulator at Cornell, funded by the NY Space Consortium and DoD.

Goal: design and integrate four CMGs into a large-scale air-bearing test facility to simulate spacecraft motion and evaluate attitude control.

2. My Role

Mechanical Design Lead

Designed a CMG using SolidWorks CAD, meeting stiffness, torque, and mass requirements
Conducted force calculations and ANSYS simulations to validate rotor and gimbal performance
Modeled spin motor dynamics in Simulink with second-order systems and PI controllers (20 Nm torque, 100°/s gimbal rate, 6000 RPM rotor speed)
Developed integration plan for four-CMG array within the spacecraft testbed (propulsion, comms, IMU, structure)

3. Key Technical Contributions

Designed inertia rotor with optimized mass distribution and performed FEA (stiffness, stress, deformation)
Selected and integrated BLDC spin motor, controller, encoder, and vacuum feedthroughs
Developed housing with iso-grid reinforcement and O-ring vacuum sealing for chamber tests
Conducted trade studies for bearings, gimbal motors (direct-drive vs geared), and selected components for reliability in vacuum
Built Simulink control model with PI controller tuning for rotor speed and gimbal motion

4. Skills Highlighted

CAD (SolidWorks), ANSYS FEA, Simulink modeling and controls
Attitude dynamics & spacecraft systems integration
Design for manufacturability and vacuum environment testing

5. Outcomes

Delivered a validated CMG design (18.6 kg per unit, ~74 kg total for four) with complete CAD, BOM, and simulation package
Advanced testbed capability to perform spacecraft attitude maneuvers in a lab-based zero-gravity simulation
Prepared drawings for manufacturing via Xometry and validated manufacturability of components

Technical Drawings/Simulink Model

Base Ring Sheet 1

Technical Gallery

Sailing to the Stars: Controls Co-Lead

Many attitude control systems employ reaction wheels as actuators due to their capability to transfer angular momentum from the wheel (powered by a motor) to adjust the attitude of the spacecraft. However, commercially available reaction wheels are too expensive for this mission. We employed a hard drive as a reaction wheel to overcome these limitations and maintain gyroscopic stabilization. By adjusting the rotational velocity of the hard drive, we can apply a control torque that will aid in reorienting the deployer. This approach enabled us to effectively control the hard drive to spin up to a set RPM and achieve precise attitude adjustments during deployment.

Project Visuals

6DOF Simulink Model

Photo Gallery

1. Mission Context

Sailing to the Stars develops and tests light sail deployers with nitinol (SMA) frames to study deployment dynamics and attitude kinematics in microgravity.

Commercial reaction wheels were too costly for this mission, so a hard drive was adapted as a reaction wheel to maintain gyroscopic stabilization. By controlling the spin rate, the deployer's attitude can be adjusted during sail release.

2. My Role

Controls Engineer (Jan–May 2024).

Modeled and simulated deployer dynamics in Simulink
Designed and tuned control systems (PID → PD transition)
Led testing on astronaut release disturbances, reaction wheel spin-up/spin-down, and RPM thresholds
Collaborated closely with a teammate to divide modeling, coding, and testing responsibilities

3. Technical Contributions

Built a 6DOF Simulink model of deployer dynamics with reaction wheel torque input
Developed a 1D Simulink model with reaction wheel electrical + mechanical transfer functions
Designed and tuned PID controllers (Kp = 1000, Ki = 30, Kd = 40), achieving stable step response
Transitioned to a PD control system after CDR for robustness and stability
Conducted astronaut release disturbance tests with IMU + video tracking (1–3 N forces measured)
Measured reaction wheel spin-up/down behavior with IMU and tachometer
Planned nutation damper tests and RPM optimization experiments
Programmed Arduino data collection scripts for IMU and control tests

5. Skills Demonstrated

Feedback controls (PID/PD) design and tuning
Dynamics simulation in Simulink
Mechatronics (Arduino programming, IMU integration)
Experimental test planning and execution
Systems thinking (linking mechanical deployment with controls)
Cross-team collaboration and technical reporting

6. Outcomes

Delivered validated transfer function models for reaction wheel control, allowing for adjustments during light sail deployment
Quantified astronaut release disturbances to size disturbance torques
Established baseline controller performance with PID, then shifted to PD for improved response
Provided empirical data on hard drive spin-up, disturbances, and deployer dynamics for integration into flight avionics
Successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using commercial hard drives as cost-effective reaction wheels for small satellite missions
Validated control system performance under realistic disturbance conditions
Established testing protocols that can be applied to future space missions requiring similar control systems

About

I am a Master's student in Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University, graduating in December 2025, with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (May 2025). I have interned twice at Vast and at Allegion Access Technologies, gaining experience in avionics manufacturing, precision tooling design, and systems integration, where I designed modular tooling, optimized test fixtures, and developed 3D-printed solutions to improve efficiency. At Cornell, I served as Mechanical Lead for the Sailing to the Stars light sail deployers, launched on Crew-11 and successfully tested aboard the ISS in July 2025. I also worked with Dr. Mason Peck on control moment gyroscope research, designing and modeling four CMGs for a large-scale test facility to simulate spacecraft motion and evaluate attitude control systems. My work has been recognized with the Undergraduate Student of the Year Award, the Cornell Tradition Senior Recognition Award, and selection as an HSF Scholar. I am passionate about manufacturing, system design, and collaborative engineering teamwork.

Technical Skills

CAD Software

NX, Fusion 360, Creo Parametric, SOLIDWORKS, LaTeX

Programming

Python, MATLAB

Machining

Lathe, Mill, 3D Printing, Laser Cutter

PLM Software

Windchill, SAP

Organization Programs

Teamcenter, Jira, Confluence

Simulation

ANSYS, Simulink

I am Gabriella Elcsics, an aerospace master's student at Cornell University.

Contact

Prefer email? Reach me at gme35@cornell.edu.

Connect with me on LinkedIn for professional updates and networking.