Designing, prototyping, and building the artifacts of our sci-fi space future

Aurelia Institute serves as a research lab, an education and outreach center, and a policy hub for the space industry.

A panel from MIT Media Lab and Dell highlights a lunar mission using AI and XR to advance human-centered, sustainable space exploration.

Founded in 2016 and now in our ninth year, we set our sights on space. The Space Exploration Initiative has since grown to 5…

 In the Spring of 2024, MIT piloted a new undertaking in interdisciplinary design for space habitats. A Space Architecture design stud…

MIT students and faculty designed and fabricated a control room for a unique lunar landing mission — an achievement in design + engineering

Prof. Craig Carter’s precision design for a student-led project now on the moon encodes messages from around the world on a silicon wafer

When Amanda Nguyen embarks on Blue Origin’s New Shepard Mission NS-31 next week, she will carry MIT research into orbit with her.

Data from the devices will help future astronauts navigate the moon’s south polar region and search for frozen water.

With a launch date no earlier than February 26, 2025, three MIT research payloads aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will travel to the moon

They were honored in the Small and Mighty: Fewer Than 100 Employees category.

The fellowship provides resources to help extend the impact of her mission to democratize access to space.

AstroAnt was selected from the Robotics + Automation category.

A selection of Images from Cambridge Science Festival 2024 | MIT Media Lab Presents: Innovation Under the Stars.

Meet HexSense, a sensor node designed to be deployed ballistically—in other words, shot out of a cannon—and automatically right itself.

Lava tubes—massive underground tunnels formed by ancient lava flows—offer a glimpse into potential human habitats under the lunar surface.

Before researchers send a project like AstroAnt to the lunar surface, they have to test it somewhere like the moon.

Terrestrial tests help to ensure that the AstroAnt's teeny-tiny wheels keep turning when it reaches the moon.

This miniaturized swarm robot can ride atop a lunar rover and collect data related to its health.

Castrol supports the AstroAnt Payload Program, a robotic swarm designed for tasks on spacecraft, rovers, and landers.

Media Lab SEI’s 2024 microgravity flight features 37 parabolas and projects focused on health in space, walking in zero gravity, and more!

At the MIT Media Lab, visionary women are at the forefront of groundbreaking research in space exploration and sustainable climate solution…

With NASA planning permanent bases in space and on the moon, MIT students develop prototypes for habitats far from planet Earth.

The Space Exploration Initiative’s 2022 microgravity flight features lunar-specific payloads in advance of an upcoming moon mission

Convergence: Artistic Exploration from Nature to SocietyNARLabs, Taipei, Taiwan May 10 - August 10, 2024 Guided by the Taiwa…

View a selection of images from the Aerospace Gondola project at Venice Biennale Arte 2024. 

Founded in 2016 and now in our eighth year, we set our sights on space. The Space Exploration Initiative has since grown to …

Liu was selected from eight shortlisted artists for her work bridging art and science.

On day 6 we got a chance to come back to Jameo de la Puerta Falsa to recover more data and scans of the lava tube, as well as to do some sc…

After a very full week of intense research and field work, we were all ready for some downtime to go through the data we'd collected, asses…

Our fifth day in Lanzarote was our biggest data collection day.

This morning we entered and explored our first lava tube at Cueva de la Paloma.

Today we got to know the most recent geologic history of the island while visiting Timanfaya National Park.

Our second day, though not the most exciting in imagery and data, was critical for the success of the expedition.

The team packed up the truck and departed the Media Lab for the airport on Saturday afternoon.  Flying through Madrid, we arrived in L…

Leading up to our departure the team tested all our hardware to make sure that it all works in the lab before exposing it to the more rugge…

The SeedLabs MicroPET, which began as a Media Lab collaboration, was selected to TIME's 200 Best Inventions of 2023.

The Signal Kinetics group invented the world's first battery-free wireless underwater camera.

Democratizing access to space.

Castrol membership supports the AstroAnt Payload Program.

These five women at the MIT Media Lab are advancing aerospace science and research, driven by a love of our home planet.

Talented and fearless explorers from a far off land have brought bright orange gadgets to this isolated and wild world to better understand

Researchers from the Media Lab and collaborators begin their second trip to Svalbard, a remote land of wind, ice, and beauty.

A number of Media Lab and MIT projects and spinoffs were recognized.

Q+A sessions on two research projects with contributors from MIT and the Media Lab will be livestreamed from the ISS on May 26 and May 28.

The Axiom Mission 2 launch will carry a variety of research from the MIT Media Lab to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 21, 2023

The HUMANS nanowafer, an MIT Space Exploration Initiative student-led project, will travel to the ISS this month, and later to the moon.

A team of scientists, engineers, and designers embark on an Arctic expedition to test space technology.

BioX2 (Biological Exploration Payload 2) is targeted for launch to the International Space Station (ISS) in October 2022 to be a technolog…

Space engineers, a geologist, an architect, and a designer journeyed to Svalbard for an expedition with the Space Exploration Initiative

In October 2022, the MIT Space Exploration Initiative went on a field expedition in Svalbard. Based out of the Czech Arctic Research Statio…

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