Vishnu Reddy

Dr. Reddy’s research focuses on understanding the behavior of space objects (natural and artificial) using a range of Earth and space-based assets. His work on natural moving objects (asteroids, near-Earth objects) is directed towards their characterization for impact hazard assessment/mitigation, asteroid-meteorite link and resource utilization. To this effort, Dr. Reddy uses the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea, Hawai’i.

The orbital space around the Earth is an invaluable resource that is increasingly becoming congested, contested, and competitive with the ever increasing threat from artificial and our adversaries. Dr. Reddy uses the same techniques used to characterize asteroid to study the behavior of artificial objects to identify their nature, intent and origin. He is setting up a space material characterization lab to observe the reflectance properties of natural (meteorites/minerals) and artificial space material in space like conditions.