ASU's Interplanetary Initiative adds three new pilot projects that will champion innovative concepts for societal impact

Arizona State University's Interplanetary Initiative continues to drive innovation with its seed funding program by advancing positive space futures for all. Seed funded pilot projects are designed to address humanity’s interplanetary future while delivering tangible outcomes that benefit us today.

As a one-year proof of concept, each project engages interdisciplinary teams seeking to address big questions with innovative approaches.They bring together faculty from ASU and other universities, industry experts, government professionals, and undergraduate and graduate students. This year’s cohort introduces several new, cutting-edge pilot projects, each aimed at addressing significant challenges in the space sector.

Lunar Lunar Minimum Viable Infrastructure
Big Question: What is the minimum required infrastructure for a sustained human presence on the Moon?
To answer this, the team led by Oswald Chong, Associate Professor at ASU’s School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, will meticulously map out the essential infrastructure required for lunar living. Charles Horikami, Space Lawyer, Judicial Law Clerk at Idaho Courts and project co-lead, has future generations in mind when thinking about this project; “I am excited to be working on something that my children and grandchildren will someday get to experience.” From water and power to waste disposal and communication, this project plans to explore every aspect related to lunar habitability. By creating a comprehensive blueprint, the team aims to inform future decisions and pave the way for a sustainable lunar future.

Project ENTERPRISE, (Enhanced Networks for Trusted Exploration and Reliability with Predictive Resilient Intelligent Systems for Exploration)
Big Question: How can AI and robots work together with humans for future space exploration? 
Possibly the next giant leap in space exploration, effective AI/robot-human collaboration will require a multidisciplinary effort to create a technical roadmap. This project led by Hiro Ono, research technologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will create such a roadmap through a series of workshops. Team co-lead Barbara Marusiak, Senior Director, Clinical Research Management and Regulatory Science at ASU’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation has much to say about her involvement in this pilot, “The most exciting aspect of Project ENTERPRISE is bringing together students, faculty, and experts from various fields. The pilot aims to create a roadmap and initial research directions to make incremental progress toward this ambitious vision of AI-assisted space exploration, making robots capable partners for human astronauts in space exploration, ultimately enhancing humanity's ability to explore other worlds.”

Space Travelers Archive
Big Question: How does being off Earth impact the concept of self? 
In these early days of human spaceflight, now is the time to document how time spent off Earth will alter our sense of self. Just as early measurements of ocean temperatures helped us understand climate change, this project will create a tool to measure individuals' sense of self in off-world environments. Through video interviews and self-assessment analyses, the team aims to track changes in self-perception during space exploration. Inspired by the Shoah Project, this archive will offer valuable insights into the psychological impact of living beyond Earth. Team co-lead, adjunct professor at New York University, Kari Love, highlights the urgency of the project, "We feel it is incredibly important to start this work now - we are already losing the first generations of professional astronauts & cosmonauts and there’s so much opportunity from being at the beginning of the era of private space travelers. Building an archive, rather than an individual study, leaves room for capturing insights for the future that we didn't even know we needed yet."

The Interplanetary Initiative is renewing seven pilot projects focused on an inclusive and sustainable space future. One of the standout projects, Space Exploration and Sustainable Development, launched the Space for Humans YouTube channel, dedicated to raising awareness about the often-overlooked need for inclusive design —a crucial concern as the space industry rapidly expands. Other renewed pilots, such as Global Heat Map of Space Activities, Lessons from the Past, LunaRights, OrbitScape, Revolutionizing Power Beaming Technology, and SpaceHACK, continue to drive forward research to better understand the global landscape of space activities, fight climate change and support sustainable lunar development.

A hallmark of the Interplanetary Initiative’s pilots is the emphasis on inclusive teams. Together, experts from the space industry and faculty across ASU team up with students and cultivate a rich environment for innovation and learning. One way that ASU’s on-campus and online undergraduate students can participate in the Initiative's pilot projects is through the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (IIURSP). This unique program provides ASU undergraduate students—who often have limited access to research experiences— the opportunity to be an active part of a research team, contributing to their educational growth and career development.

With a 5.7x financial return on investment over seven years, the program has delivered outcomes in research, public engagement, and education but also informed infrastructure, policy and business practices. Given the program’s focus on real-world and lasting impact, a critical stage for each project is its transition to from proof-of-concept to broader implementation. Collaboration is key to achieving scale and future partners and funders are essential to not only drive innovation but also to shape human expansion to space while addressing critical societal challenges.

To stay updated on these projects, subscribe to the Interplanetary Initiative’s newsletter. Whether you're an ASU faculty member, a student eager to make an impact, or an external space expert seeking collaboration, join the conversation and discover how these pilots are shaping humanity’s future in space.