Navigating in a microgravity environment is a challenge even for trained human astronauts, but it is even more challenging for autonomous robots, limiting their use in places like a space station. Now ...

When NASA’s free-flying helpers on the International Space Station drifted into trouble, the solution did not come from a new thruster or a last-minute software patch. It came from a virtual copy of ...

"We have now achieved all the technical requirements for controlling complex robotic missions on Mars — and for a future permanent lunar research station." When you purchase through links on our site, ...

Someday, American astronauts may land on the moon again: that’s the intent behind NASA’s Artemis campaign to live and work on Earth’s satellite in preparation for human missions to Mars. If that day ...

Robots flying around in space seem more like fiction than reality, but recently NASA has been testing their free-flying robots called Smart SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, ...

How can an AI robot help improve human space exploration? This is what a recent study presented at the 2025 International Conference on Space Robotics hopes to address as a team of researchers ...

AI makes ISS robot navigation 50–60% faster, marking the first in-orbit demonstration of machine-learning-based motion control. The system handles the station’s cluttered, narrow interior, where ...

Imagine a robot about the size of a toaster floating through the tight corridors of the International Space Station, quietly moving supplies or checking for leaks – all without an astronaut at the ...

Remote-controlled robots could one day build giant solar farms in space, according to a recent trial in the UK. The company used two remotely operated robotic arms to assemble a section of the support ...

NASA has used machine learning to control a free flying robot on the ISS for the first time. The technology made the ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. A standard ballpoint pen will not write in space. Without gravity ...