Fraunhofer FIT, in partnership with NASA and leading global collaborators from both industry and academia, is pleased to announce the 2026 SpaceCHI conference, taking place September 24-25, 2026, at NASA Ames. As a premier international forum for research on human-machine interaction in space exploration, SpaceCHI invites researchers and practitioners to help shape and advance the future of this rapidly evolving field.
Space exploration is at the dawn of a new era. Major reductions in launch costs and the rise of the private space industry are rapidly democratizing access to space. Once the exclusive domain of a few large government agencies, space systems and services are now poised to become increasingly intertwined with everyday life. This transformation is giving rise to new economic sectors and opening the door to novel uncharted research directions. SpaceCHI seeks to catalyze this potential by providing an interdisciplinary platform for researchers and practitioners worldwide.
Following last year’s edition of SpaceCHI at the European Space Agency in Germany, this year’s SpaceCHI will be hosted at NASA Ames, one of the most revered bastions of space research, located in Silicon Valley, the beating heart of technological innovation.
In the spirit of inclusivity and global collaboration, SpaceCHI 2026 will adopt a hybrid format. We recognize that travel may be complicated for some members of our community and therefore welcome both on-site and remote participation.
With a broad interdisciplinary focus, SpaceCHI welcomes a wide range of submissions related to the design and use of technologies for space. We encourage contributions from researchers and practitioners across diverse fields, including - but not limited to - human-computer interaction, design, aerospace engineering, robotics, psychology, medicine and space architecture.
Featuring talks by astronauts and other leading space experts, the conference offers a unique opportunity to connect with like-minded enthusiasts and help pioneer the emerging space technology field. We look forward to your contribution and to seeing you – in person or online – at NASA Ames!
Important dates
Submission deadline – 17th of July 2026
Notification – 27th of July 2026
Camera ready – 18th of September 2026
Conference – 24th and 25th of September 2026
For guidelines and more information, please visit https://spacechi.media.mit.edu/