In October 2022, the MIT Space Exploration Initiative went on a field expedition in Svalbard. Based out of the Czech Arctic Research Station, the team tested technology to enable scientific access to remote regions, from the high Arctic to outer space.
Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. It offers a space analog environment due to its remote location, limited resources, cold temperatures, light, and geological features, among others. In addition to the science, the team learned important operations in the field that could be applied to space exploration.
Projects span from remote sensing, to dynamic architecture, to plant habitats, to user research in the field. Learn more about the projects below!