About Gen Astro

Gen Astro builds unified astrodynamics systems that replace fragmented, legacy workflows with a modern, coherent architecture. As a small, focused company, we move quickly and design systems the right way from the start—leveraging modern scientific computing to enable capabilities that were previously impractical. With experience spanning missions from LEO and formation flying to lunar, libration point, and interplanetary trajectories, we bring both technical depth and a fresh approach to building scalable, next-generation flight dynamics systems.

Our Products and Services

Epicycle Licensing and Customization

We offer Epicycle through both open-source and enterprise licensing, providing a flexible foundation for mission design and flight dynamics applications. The open-source core enables transparency and community-driven development, while the enterprise offering delivers additional capabilities, support, and integration for operational environments. In addition, we provide engineering services to extend and tailor the platform to specific mission needs, including custom models, workflows, and system integrations—ensuring each solution remains robust, maintainable, and aligned with long-term program goals.

Mission Design and Optimization

We provide mission design and optimization services across the full spectrum of space applications, from early concept development to detailed trajectory design. Whether leading the effort or working alongside your team, we apply a broad and deep set of astrodynamics techniques to solve complex problems efficiently and rigorously. With experience spanning LEO, formation flying, lunar, libration point, and interplanetary missions, we bring the capability to tackle challenging design spaces and deliver solutions that are both practical and high-performance.

Flight Dynamics Ground Systems

We design and build flight dynamics ground systems that are ready to support real mission operations. Our approach focuses on automating key processes such as maneuver planning, orbit determination, and product generation, reducing manual effort and operational risk. Built on a modern, unified architecture, these systems are flexible, scalable, and tailored to your mission—enabling efficient operations today while adapting to future needs.

Experience Matters

Steven Hughes has nearly 30 years of experience in flight dynamics, including serving as the lead engineer and product manager for NASA’s General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT). His work spans mission design and navigation, with deep expertise in parameter optimization, shooting methods, and collocation. He has supported missions ranging from LEO and formation flying to lunar, libration point, and interplanetary trajectories, across both single-spacecraft and distributed architectures. This experience informs the development of modern, scalable systems designed to address the real challenges of mission analysis and operations.

Epicycle Overview