Cesar A. Ocampo
Associate Professor
Raymond Dawson Centennial Teaching Fellowship
Research Area:
Orbital Mechanics
Email: cesar.ocampo@mail.utexas.edu
Phone: (512) 471-5696
Office: WRW 412B
Education:
Ph.D. 1996, University of Colorado at Boulder
Research Interests:
- Astrodynamics and Celestial Mechanics
- Spacecraft Trajectory Optimization in Multibody Gravity Fields
- Mission Design and Analysis for Multiple Spacecraft Missions
- Dynamical Systems
- Numerical Methods
Dr. Cesar Ocampo has been a member of the Cockrell School of Engineering faculty since 2000. Prior to joining The University of Texas he participated in mission planning and operations for commercial satellites using advanced propulsion systems and was the lead trajectory analyst for the first lunar flyby rescue mission for a stranded commercial satellite.
He is also the inventor of Copernicus, a generalized trajectory design and optimization system currently used by NASA and other institutions to do trajectory design and optimization studies for all types of lunar, asteroid, and interplanetary spacecraft missions. Dr. Ocampo used Copernicus for the NASA LCROSS lunar impact mission, which discovered the presence of water on the lunar south pole in 2009.
Dr. Ocampo teaches undergraduate and graduate courses as part of the orbital mechanics group in the department. He is also involved with the UT engineering study abroad program and participates actively in local and international outreach programs encouraging students to pursue careers in science, math, and engineering. He strongly supports and encourages a healthy balance between research, teaching, and service.
