Q&A: How USC is building the future of space

Leading aerospace companies increasingly look to USC to fill their engineering ranks — and that pipeline runs through a satellite no bigger than a shoebox.

When the USC Space Engineering Research Center (SERC) welcomed industry partners inside its labs for its first open house last month, it did so on the heels of a major milestone: the successful launch of MAVERIC, a nanosatellite designed and built almost entirely by USC students.

MAVERIC, a 3U CubeSat, was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission July 7, carrying experiments to advance autonomous spacecraft, satellite servicing and space weather monitoring. The mission also includes Planetary Systems AI’s first operational deployment in low-Earth orbit, allowing the company to test its AI software using data collected by MAVERIC.

It’s the kind of experience SERC offers students: designing, building, testing and operating spacecraft alongside faculty and industry partners — collaborations that also help launch careers. Aerospace companies regularly recruit USC students through networking events, career fairs and site visits, creating a pipeline from the classroom to the workforce. According to USC’s First Destination Survey, SpaceX hired 22 USC graduates from the university’s Class of 2025, matching the number hired from the Class of 2023.

USC News spoke with David Barnhart, research professor of astronautical engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and co-founder and director of SERC, about MAVERIC’s early success, the value of industry partnerships and why giving students real flight experience is preparing them to tackle the next generation of space challenges.

MAVERIC has now been in orbit for several weeks. How is the mission progressing, and what have you learned from communicating with the satellite so far?

Barnhart: The mission has been progressing well, though the first couple of weeks presented a unique challenge. More than 70 satellites were deployed into a very tight cluster — a “string of pearls” all bunched together in orbit. Most people don’t realize that even after a successful launch, locating a specific small satellite can be surprisingly difficult.

Over the past several weeks, we’ve been able to narrow down MAVERIC’s location using data from Space-Track and have been closing in on its beacon — an intermittent transmission of basic telemetry that can be heard by radio operators around the world. We’ve also upgraded the capabilities of our campus ground station to detect much fainter signals, bringing us closer to establishing reliable communications.

Many engineering students dream of building something that reaches space. How do you make that possible at USC?

Barnhart: We’re very hands-on. We don’t really focus on hypothetical projects — I like applied research, and that’s what we do at the USC Information Sciences Institute and here at SERC.

The goal was to create a combined research pathway where students could work on hardware that would actually fly in space. USC already has outstanding student rocketry organizations, but that’s only one part of astronautics. We wanted students to experience what goes on the rocket that drives it to space.

Through USC Viterbi Department of Astronautical Engineering project courses, students move from the design process to building real flight hardware, applying what they learn in the classroom. Many begin in those courses and then continue working here at SERC, where they design, build and integrate spacecraft.

Industry support has been essential. A corporate gift allowed us to purchase the flight hardware, complete the testing required for launch and ultimately secure a spot on a launch vehicle. That took the program to the next level because students weren’t just designing a mission — they were building something that would actually reach orbit.

I’ve been fortunate to combine my roles as a research professor in astronautical engineering and director of SERC to help make that possible. Throughout the project, students participate in formal design reviews at the end of each semester, with faculty and industry experts providing feedback just as they would in a professional aerospace program. By the time they graduate, they’ve experienced the same engineering process they’ll encounter in industry.

What makes USC’s approach to space engineering education different from what students might find elsewhere? 

Barnhart: We have some unique capabilities, both through our student organizations and through funded, sponsored research that students can participate in directly.

USC offers a broader range of hands-on capability than most — from rocketry to satellites, plus our own ground station, so students actually operate the satellites once they’re in orbit. We’ve also had experiments aboard the International Space Station, which are still up there, and we partner with companies on advanced robotics work.

Across the board, we’ve built a breadth of hands-on experience spanning nearly every space discipline. This is a trend that has started several years ago in many other universities. USC has a unique depth in astronautics.

How is AI changing the way spacecraft operate, and how are projects like MAVERIC contributing to that future?

Barnhart: We’re using AI — specifically reinforcement learning — in two areas of sponsored research. The first is understanding hazards in the space environment. The second is soft robotics, a new field for us.

Onboard the spacecraft, AI comes into play through the satellite’s magnetometers and magnetorquers. The magnetometers read the surrounding magnetic field, and the magnetorquers let us generate our own magnetic field to adjust the satellite’s orientation.

Our plan is to download that data and use it to train a reinforcement learning model on the ground — the spacecraft itself doesn’t have the computing power to do that training in orbit. Once the model is trained, we can upload an improved algorithm that tells the satellite how to control itself based on what it has learned. That’s the primary AI hardware-based initiative we’re pursuing.

The other algorithm we’re using is a B-dot controller. The concept is straightforward: Once you know enough about how the spacecraft is moving, you pulse the magnetorquers at the right moments to gradually slow that motion until the satellite stabilizes. This is typically done with reaction wheels or propulsion systems; we’re doing it with magnetic torquers instead. It takes longer, but it’s a more efficient approach if it works.

Those are the two main areas where we’re applying AI on the MAVERIC mission.

As spacecraft become more autonomous, what role will humans continue to play?

Barnhart: One of my PhD students recently returned from a robotics conference where the big topic was “cobots,” or cooperative robots, which are systems designed to work safely alongside people rather than replace them.

I think the same idea applies in space. As spacecraft become more autonomous, people will still want to understand what’s happening and have the ability to step in if something goes wrong. That’s especially true for satellite servicing, where one spacecraft is operating in close proximity to another.

Trust is essential; there’s real value in being able to see what an autonomous system is doing. The future isn’t about humans versus AI — it’s about humans and autonomous systems working together.

What are SERC’s next big projects?

Barnhart: We have several in the works. The largest is called Optical Reef, which supports the research of four PhD students, along with several master’s students. It’s a bit audacious — we’re tackling the technical challenges of creating what would effectively be a one-kilometer-wide space telescope, giving scientists the ability to capture images at an unprecedented level of detail.

Another project focuses on developing a true tentacle-based manipulation system. This isn’t a spacecraft or a traditional robotic arm, but an entirely new type of autonomous manipulation system capable of maneuvering independently to perform complex tasks in space.

We’re also supporting several upcoming Astrobee flight opportunities in partnership with a local aerospace company. Ground testing will take place at the SERC’s air-bearing facility, giving our students the opportunity to participate in a truly one-of-a-kind test platform, in orbit!