Gunter Just

Background

About Gunter Just

I graduated with a BSc & MSc in Aerospace Engineering, both from the University of Stuttgart (Germany), where my specialisations were spaceflight & space utilisation, as well as the design and development of aerospace structures. My work experience includes working for the Institute of Space Systems in Stuttgart, Airbus Defence & Space and the European Space Agency (ESA). During my PhD, I was working on regolith handling mechanisms for lunar In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) at the University of Manchester with the support of ESA (NPI), the UK-based FAIR-SPACE Hub, and an additional industrial partner. Here, my focus was on the development of a novel rover-mounted regolith excavation and beneficiation mechanism, in support of various ISRU applications such as additive manufacturing or oxygen extraction. This also includes additional investigations in the areas of planetary sampling methods, planetary rovers, regolith analogues & simulants and their characterisation, as well as geotechnical engineering applications. In 2020, I acted as the lead engineer for Team RELOX, successfully completing two parabolic flight campaigns with ESA & Novespace (ESA campaigns 73 & 74). Our multi-disciplinary team investigated the effect of reduced gravity on oxygen-evolving electrolysis for lunar ISRU applications. Since 2021, I am a member of the Robotics section at the European Space Agency, working on several projects in the area of orbital, as well as planetary robotics.