Faculty Research Is Launching Student Dreams at CARS
Sakurako Kuba (’23, ’26) always knew she wanted to be an astronaut. Growing up in the countryside of southwestern Japan, she watched footage of Chiaki Mukai — the first Japanese woman in space — and declared her intention at the age of four. While many childhood ambitions fade, Kuba’s only grew sharper. Today, she is a Ph.D. candidate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Embry-Riddle, working on real aviation challenges and moving steadily toward her long-held goal.
Her research home is the Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems (CARS), one of Embry-Riddle’s designated centers of excellence and a hub where faculty, students and national partners work together on pressing aviation and space challenges. Supported in part by philanthropic investment, CARS gives students the chance to contribute to projects that extend far beyond campus — into regulatory agencies, transportation authorities and federal initiatives. Few university labs operate at this intersection of research, policy and operational decision-making.
Spanning areas from airspace resilience and cyber defense to uncrewed systems and launch integration, CARS offers more than technical training. It offers students a front-row seat to how real decisions are made.
“Donors don’t always see that connection,” said Professor Carlos Castro, who directs CARS and its affiliated Next-Generation Advanced Research (NEAR) Lab. “They think research means papers gathering dust on a shelf. But what we do here is applied engineering. Our projects lead to real solutions, and our students are part of that work every day.”
From Class to Lab to Career
Kuba earned her master’s degree at Embry-Riddle and is on track to complete her Ph.D. in 2026. Her path at CARS began with a single course.
“I took Professor Castro’s simulation class as part of my master’s program,” she said. “At first, I thought it would be just one semester. But after the final project, he asked if I wanted to continue with research. I said yes. Now I can’t imagine not using that software.”
The software — Jeppesen’s airspace and airport modeling tool — is widely used across the aviation industry. Many students take the course and move on. Kuba stayed, examining how space launches affect Florida’s busy airspace. Her findings now inform ongoing CARS work with government and airport partners.
Air Traffic Control, Reimagined
“When you think about going to space, air traffic isn’t the first thing that comes to mind,” Kuba said. “But the more I studied it, the more I saw that space launches and aviation are closely connected. They share the same airspace, and that creates unique challenges.”
Florida leads the nation in launch activity. As rocket launches increase, temporary airspace closures can influence everything from airline schedules to fuel use. Kuba’s work models those disruptions and provides insights that can guide coordination between aviation and space operations.