Pilot projects quarterly report

SpaceHACK for Sustainability: Solving Local and Global Challenges

The 2025 SpaceHack for Sustainability brought together 250 students and experts to tackle pressing issues using satellite data. Held March 21-22 and sponsored by Lunasonde, the event featured three tracks: Food Insecurity in Urban Phoenix, Culture in Sustainable Cities, and Environmental Migration in Sahelian Africa.

Participants from ASU, University of Toronto, CY Cergy Paris Université, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, and Universidad Espíritu Santo developed solutions to strengthen food resilience in Arizona through urban agriculture, addressing challenges faced by local communities. Globally, teams explored strategies to support populations affected by climate-driven migration in Africa.

This annual hackathon empowers students to create real-world solutions that benefit both Arizonans and global citizens, showcasing the power of space technologies to improve lives. Want to support next year’s event? Contact Kerri Rittschof to get involved!

Earth Analogues for Emotional and Mental Health Resilience in Space

How do extreme environments shape human resilience? The Earth Analogues project explores this question by studying psychological and emotional responses in isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) conditions on Earth — Antarctica, submarines, and prisons. These insights are not just for astronauts but have broader implications for Earth’s citizens.

Understanding resilience in ICE environments can improve mental health strategies for people facing isolation or high-stress situations, such as healthcare workers, military personnel, or individuals in remote communities. The findings may also enhance disaster preparedness and recovery efforts, benefiting communities worldwide.

By leveraging advanced AI tools, the project contributes to scientific innovation while fostering collaboration across disciplines. This research underscores the interconnectedness of space exploration and life on Earth, proving that lessons learned in preparing for interplanetary travel can enrich lives closer to home.

Global Heat Map of Space Activities

Imagine a tool that brings the vast world of space activities to your fingertips — helping us work together for a better future. The Global Space Heat Map does just that. This interactive dashboard visualizes over 13,000 data points (and counting!) on global space initiatives, making it easier than ever to explore, collaborate, and innovate.

The latest updates make it even more powerful. A new “discovery flow” feature lets you search by topic or keyword and generates a personalized story from the database using advanced AI. Soon, a “related keywords” tool will help you dive deeper into your interests. Behind the scenes, the team is enhancing search functionality, improving data management, and strengthening the platform’s durability.

But it’s not just about technology — it’s about people. After consulting with experts, the team has developed customer personas and is reaching out to companies for interviews to ensure the platform meets real-world needs. By fostering collaboration and providing actionable insights, the Global Space Heat Map empowers stakeholders to shape sustainable initiatives for humanity’s multiplanetary future.

Want to explore or get involved? Learn more.

Lessons From the Past

How can history guide humanity’s future in space? "Lessons From the Past" is a documentary project exploring how past human expeditions can shape ethical, legal, and sustainable approaches to space exploration. By reflecting on historical successes and failures, this project offers insights important to take with us as we prepare for humanity’s next great frontier.

With a teaser video completed and a short film in progress, the project aims for a feature length documentary that inspires action through storytelling and connects communities worldwide to the challenges and opportunities of space exploration. Together, we can learn from the past to shape a brighter future.

Lunar Minimum Viable Infrastructure

What does it take to build a sustainable human presence on the Moon? The Lunar Minimum Viable Infrastructure (MVI) team is tackling this question head-on, exploring the essential systems needed for life beyond Earth. Their work isn’t just about the Moon — it’s about shaping humanity’s future in space.

This spring, the students will publish their latest research papers on topics like AI, communications, Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) systems, and even the role of good food in space. With guidance from mentor Samson Williams, they’ve also shared insights through blogs on subjects ranging from Mexico’s place in the space economy to Helium-3 mining.

The team is preparing to present their findings at the Beyond Earth Symposium, but they’re not stopping there. They’re inviting passionate mentors to join their mission. If you’re ready to help shape the next chapter of space exploration, click here to get involved!

LunaRights and OrbitScape

LunaRights is making lunar exploration sustainable and peaceful by addressing critical questions about property rights and resource management on the Moon. Meanwhile, OrbitScape is shaping the future of interplanetary geopolitics by mapping cislunar space and guiding cooperative exploration strategies.

This quarter brought exciting updates to both tools. LunaRights introduced new features like mission mapping, location creation, improved zoom rendering speeds, and user authentication for saving searches — all aimed at making lunar planning easier and more efficient. OrbitScape enhanced its software with upgraded 3D models, a refined user interface, and custom orbital maneuver simulation tools. These innovations sparked significant interest during our presentation at the Arizona Space Summit.

Why does this matter? These tools are paving the way for responsible space exploration — helping researchers, companies, and nations collaborate and plan effectively. If your organization wants to be part of this effort or use these tools, reach out to Tyler.D.Smith@asu.edu. 

Project ENTERPRISE

Imagine a future where humans and robots work seamlessly together to explore the unknown. Project ENTERPRISE is making that vision a reality by fostering collaboration across disciplines to create smarter, safer partnerships between humans, AI, and robots in adaptive space exploration.

This quarter, the team focused on planning the upcoming virtual workshop, “Robots, AI, and Humans in Space Exploration.” With sponsorship from Honeybee Robotics and keynote speakers like Dr. Hiro Ono and Dr. Nancy Cooke, the event promises to spark innovative ideas and meaningful conversations. The team also partnered with Lindy Elkins-Tanton to submit a proposal to the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS), aiming to host workshops that explore how future robots can become even more adaptive.

It’s not just about technology — it’s about connection. By blending human ingenuity with AI’s capabilities, Project ENTERPRISE is paving the way for exploration that inspires us all. Learn more.

Revolutionizing Power Beaming

This team is advancing power beaming technology to support future space infrastructure and sustainable energy solutions. By harnessing space-based solar energy, this innovation could address energy needs on the Moon, in cislunar space, and even on Earth.

The team continued to work on the payload in partnership with the Interplanetary Laboratory — designing, testing, and manufacturing what is probably the first sub-1U deployable boom ever to be developed for a cubesat. They are also researching opportunities to submit for federal sponsored funding, particularly focusing on DARPA and other Department of Defense possibilities in partnership with both the Interplanetary Initiative and the Global Security Initiative. Learn more

Space for Humans

Space for Humans is fostering a more inclusive vision of space exploration, connecting Earth and space through innovative technologies and conversations about the social and environmental impacts of the growing space economy.

This quarter, the team released diverse content on their YouTube channel, which now has over 1,200 subscribers. Highlights include interviews with Octave de Gaulle discussing the design of a champagne bottle for space and Melissa de Zwart reflecting on Australia’s role as a spacefaring nation and the potential for plants in space.

By sharing these stories, Space for Humans invites viewers to reflect on humanity’s role in shaping the future of space exploration. Whether you're curious about space law or champagne in zero gravity, their content sparks curiosity and connection. Learn more about how they’re bridging worlds through conversation.

Space Travelers Archive

The Space Travelers Archive is advancing how we understand psychological resilience in space. By exploring shifts in self-perception during off-world missions, the project aims to uncover insights into human adaptability in extreme environments.

Recently, the team finalized its media release form and prepared for its first pilot interview with Aisha Bowe, a former NASA rocket scientist and CEO of STEMBoard. This milestone marks the beginning of a series of interviews with space travelers to capture their unique perspectives. The team is also aligning future interviews with events like the Explorers Club Annual Dinner and developing strategies to secure funding for the initiative.

Through these efforts, the Archive seeks to connect shared human experiences with the challenges of space exploration, offering a lens into how individuals navigate isolation, transformation, and resilience far from Earth.

By Pauline Jewett