Eric Pilger

Staff

Eric Pilger

Systems Engineer

About

Eric received his B.A. in Astrophysics from Williams College in 1982. He then received an M.S. in Astronomy from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in 1985, after which he went to work for the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility as a Systems Programmer. He transferred to the Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology in 1997, where he has worked since as a Software Engineer. In 2007 he joined in collaborating with the Hawai‘i Space Flight Laboratory, where he is now their Lead Software Engineer.

Papers

  1. M. Nunes, R. Wright, P. Lucey, L. Flynn, T. Sorensen, E. Pilger, S. Ginoza, M. Wood, L. Yoneshige, G. Guerrero, Y. Onodera, L. Anderson, C. Swenson, S. Babu (2026). "HyTI-2: A Cryogenically Stabilized LWIR Hyperspectral CubeSat for High-Duty-Cycle Space Domain Awareness," Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference, #26423. https://doi.org/10.64861/GMQY8641
  2. M. Nunes, R. Wright, P. Lucey, L. Flynn, T. Sorensen, E. Pilger, S. Ginoza, M. Wood, L. Yoneshige, G. Guerrero, Y. Onodera, L. Anderson, C. Swenson, S. Babu (2026). "HyTI-2: Advancing Hyperspectral Thermal Imaging into the Era of Space-Based Edge Processing," 40th Annual AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites, SSC26-VII-01. https://doi.org/10.26077/2s6z-xn69
  3. M. Nunes, P. Kline, W. Edmonson, P. Casau, T. Sorensen, E. Pilger (2026). "Conceptual MBSE Architecture for Autonomous and Cooperative CubeSat Swarms," Small Satellites Systems and Services Symposium (4S 2026), Paper 243.
  4. M. Nunes, E. Chee, O. Montoya, W. Edmonson, S. Ginoza, E. Pilger (2025). "An Evaluation of Flight Software Platforms for Small Satellite Missions," Proc. SPIE 13546, Small Satellites Systems and Services Symposium (4S 2024). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3062481
  5. Nunes, M. A., Sorensen, T. C., & Pilger, E. J. (2015). On the development of a 6DoF GNC framework for docking multiple small satellites. AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, AIAA Science and Technology Forum, 1–14. doi:10.2514/6.2015-0868
  6. Nunes, M. A., Sorensen, T. C., Pilger, E. J., Garbeil, H. M., Lewis, J. R., Azimov, D. M., & Wood, M. (2014). Expanding the Comprehensive Open-architecture Space Mission Operations System (COSMOS) for Integrated Guidance, Navigation and Control of Multiple Small Satellites. In 13th International Conference on Space Operations 2014 (p. 1). doi:10.2514/6.2014-1835
  7. Sorensen, T. C., Nunes, M. A., Chan, J. K., Pilger, E. J., & Yoneshige, L. K. (2014). New Gateway to Space for Small Satellites by the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory. In Small Satellites Systems and Services Symposium, The 4s Symposium, 26-30 May 2014 in Porto Petro, Majorca, Spain.
  8. Sorensen, T. C., Pilger, E. J., & Nunes, M. A. (2014). Implementing the Comprehensive Open-architecture Space Mission Operations System (COSMOS) to Operate Multiple CubeSats. In 11th Annual CubeSat Developers’ Workshop, April 23-25, 2014, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA.
  9. Nunes, M. A., Sorensen, T. C., & Pilger, E. J. (2014). Cooperative Control of Multiple Small Satellites using the Comprehensive Open-architecture Space Mission Operations System. In 9th International ESA Conference on Guidance, Navigation & Control Systems, 2 to 6 June 2014, Oporto, Portugal.
  10. Sorensen, T. C., Pilger, E. J., Wood, M. S., Nunes, M. A., & Yoneshige, L. K. (2013). Mission design and operations of a constellation of small satellites for remote sensing. In K. D. Pham, J. L. Cox, R. T. Howard, & G. Chen (Eds.), SPIE 8739, Sensors and Systems for Space Applications VI, 873906 (May 21, 2013) (p. 873906). doi:10.1117/12.2016745
  11. Sorensen, T. C., Pilger, E. J., Wood, M. S., & Nunes, M. A. (2012). A University-developed Comprehensive Open-architecture Space Mission Operations System (COSMOS) to Operate Multiple Space Vehicles. In SpaceOps 2012 Conference. Cleared for public release by NASA Ames (p. 1)
  12. Sorensen, T. C., Pilger, E. J., Wood, M. S., Nunes, M. A., Garbeil, H. M., Wessel, E. K., & Jamroz, W. (2012). Adapting an Open-architecture mission Operations System for a Lunar Rover Mission. In 63rd International Astronautical Congress. Naples, Italy.
  13. Sorensen, T., Pilger, E., Yost, B., Nunes, M., & Differding, J. (2012). "Plug and Play Mission Operations," 2012 IEEE Aerospace Conference, 1–13. doi:10.1109/AERO.2012.6187394
  14. Sorensen, T., Pilger, E., Wood, M., and Nunes, M. (2011). "Development of a Comprehensive Mission Operations System Designed to Operate Multiple Small Satellites," 25th Annual AIAA/Utah State University Conference on Small Satellites, August 8-11, 2011, Logan, UT. [PDF]
  15. Sorensen, T. C., Pilger, E. J., Wood, M. S., and Nunes, M. A. (2011). "Comprehensive Open-architecture Space Mission Operations System (COSMOS)." American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Plug-n-Play Mission Operations Workshop, May 16-17, 2011, San Jose, CA. [Link]
  16. Sorensen, T. C., Pilger, E. J., Wood, M. S., Gregory, E. D., and Nunes, M. A. (2010). "Development of the Mission Operations Support Tool (MOST)," American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SpaceOps 2010 Conference, April 25-30, 2010, Huntsville, AL. Paper #2010-2230. [PDF]
  17. Sorensen, T. C., Pilger, E. J., Wood, M. S., Gregory, E. D., and Nunes, M. A. (2010). "Development of the Mission Operations Support Tool (MOST)," American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics SpaceOps 2010 Conference, April 25-30, 2010, Huntsville, AL. [Link]
  18. Sorensen, T. C., Hude, C. V., Kobayashi, M. H., Pilger, E. J., Sanyal, A. K., and Yoneshige, L. K. (2009). "LEO-1: Development of a University Microsatellite for Flight Testing New Technologies," American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Space 2009 Conference and Exposition, Paper #2009-6812. [PDF]

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