I had the opportunity to work as part of the HOPE (High-technology Operations for Planetary Exploration) project, in the ACHIEVED (Assembly for Concepts in Human Interplanetary Exploration with Various Extraterrestrial Designations) team of the Space Exploration Project Group (SEPG) at SGAC. 

ACHIEVED is focused on developing innovative and original mission designs to support space agencies and private space companies in their quest for new mission concepts that challenge and advance our technological and/or scientific knowledge.

My work in the HOPE mission, which is an innovative in-depth study of the Uranian satellites, has been a truly enriching experience. Our team proposed the addition of multiple rideshare CubeSats to expand the science objectives of the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) mission. Our goal is to map the global properties of large Uranian moons and investigate how the properties of the Uranian moons constrain their formation and evolution. This mission concept presents a low-cost/fast-delivery space asset that can provide reliable scientific data on Uranian moons, while also demonstrating the viability of small satellite technology for deep space exploration and testing new deep space technologies.

Working on the HOPE mission has allowed me to develop and apply my technical skills to a complex and challenging project. Moreover, being part of the ACHIEVED team has allowed me to collaborate with young professionals and students from diverse study backgrounds and nationalities. The opportunity to work with such a talented and motivated team has been invaluable, and I have learned a lot from their unique perspectives and expertise.

As a member of the Small Satellites Project Group (SSPG) at SGAC, I'm working on a feasibility study to design a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) payload on a nanosatellite for monitoring water levels in flood-prone areas of Nigeria. Our goal is to provide a cost-effective, fast, and continuous monitoring system that can help with flood risk management in the region. 

The Nigerian Hydrological Services Agency has identified soil moisture as a significant contributor to flooding in Nigeria, and radar remote sensing data collection techniques can provide higher-resolution images independent of weather conditions. However, fitting such a system on a nanosatellite poses size, weight, power, and cost restrictions.

Our methodology involves evaluating SAR dataset user requirements for Kogi State, Nigeria, and assessing current SAR payload designs and advances to determine the architecture that best meets these requirements. We are using a constraint-driven design process to generate system specifications and design a SAR payload that integrates on a nanosatellite bus.

The outcome of this research will be a comprehensive SAR dataset user requirement document and technical reports, evaluating SAR payload sensors and designs that satisfy the user requirements, with emphasis on their integration onto a nanosatellite bus. These results will provide technical insights and a framework for designing future SAR nanosatellite missions to detect and predict flood events to enable a fast early warning system that will aid in flood prediction and management.