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In-Space Physical AI Workshop


We are excited to announce the InSpace Physical AI Workshop on February 11-12, 2026. This event will bring together industry leaders, government agencies, and academia to explore the cutting edge of AI in space exploration.

The workshop will include sessions on:

  • AI-enabling mission to Mars

  • AI-magnified strategic economic presence in cis-lunar space

  • Defending the homeland

  • International collaboration

  • Short pitches and posters: Startups/commercial vendors

Presentations by leading space AI startups and government sponsors will highlight the latest advancements and future directions.

Register Here
Sponsor Here

Thank you to our sponsor!

Call for Poster or Presentation

If you are interested in participating in the poster/presentation portion of this event, please fill out the fields below.

Organized by Rice Nexus in collaboration with Purdue, Vanderbilt, and NASA.

Workshop Program

Day 1: February 11
Time Duration Session Description
8:00 – 8:3030 minRegistration, Tea/Coffee (Continues through lunch)
8:30 – 8:4515 minWelcome & Introduction
8:45 – 9:30 45 min Inaugural Address / Keynote
Featuring keynote speaker Matt Ondler, Chief Strategy Officer, Axiom Space
9:30 – 10:45 75 min Enabling Missions to Mars – Part I: Using AI independently of humans
This session brings NASA, industry, and university experts together to address the use of AI for autonomous robotic operations, repair, maintenance, logistics of systems during long periods of time without crew presence.
Moderator:
Montgomery Goforth, Chief Technologist, NASA Johnson Space Center
Panelists:
10:45 – 11:15 30 min Short Pitches & Poster Highlights: Startups / Commercial Vendors
  1. Rice Nexus & Axiom Space
    Title: “Earth-Independent Cyber Defense Platform for Space Systems: A SPARTA-Mapped, Multi-Agent Edge-AI Platform.”
  2. Rice Nexus & Intuitive Machines
    Title: “Space Telemetry OS: AI Tool for Correlation Discovery & Dual-Model Mission Control with GenAI Insights”
  3. Torres Orbital Mining (TOM)
    Title: Edge AI in Excavation: Local Autonomy for Space and Earth
  4. Novium
    Title: Modular Robotic Arm Demonstration for On-Orbit Refueling and Next Generation In-Space Assembly and Manufacturing
11:15 – 12:1560 minLunch + Poster Session / Demos
12:15 – 13:30 75 min Strategic Economic Presence in LEO & Cis-Lunar Space – Part I: AI for Computing and Data Center
This session brings together NASA, industry leaders, and university researchers to examine the pivotal role of AI in advancing computing and data infrastructure for space.
Moderator: Brian Sierawski (Vanderbilt)
Panelists:
13:30 – 14:45 75 min Physical AI for Defending the Homeland – Part I: Missile Defense
This session brings industry, defense agencies, and academia experts together to identify critical In-Space Physical AI capabilities and needs for the nation’s SHIELD Missile Defense initiative.
Moderator: Ananth Grama (Purdue)
Panelists:
14:45 – 15:1530 minTea/Coffee Break
15:15 – 17:00 105 min International Collaboration in Space: The increasing role of AI in multilateral, interdisciplinary, and commercial space environments
This session brings together a number of representatives from government, business and academia to discuss how AI is influencing conversations and decision-making around space activities and operations.
Moderator: David Alexander, Director, Rice Space Institute
Panelists:
Day 2: February 12
Time Duration Session Description
8:30 – 9:0030 minTea/Coffee (Continues through lunch)
9:00 – 9:1515 minWelcome
9:15 – 10:00 45 min Keynote / Fireside Chat
Featuring keynote speaker Steve Smith, Director, Flight Systems at Blue Origin
10:00 – 11:15 75 min Enabling Missions to Mars – Part II: Using AI to support humans in space
This session will bring together Subject Matter Experts to address the use of AI to aid astronauts in complex tasks during which they would historically have had MCC-based assistance.
Moderator:
Steven Fredrickson – Chief, Software, Robotics, and Simulation Division, Engineering Directorate, Johnson Space Center
Panelists:
11:15 – 11:4530 minFeatured Speaker: Government / Industry / Academia
11:45 – 12:4560 minLunch + Poster Session / Demos
12:45 – 14:00 75 min Strategic Economic Presence in LEO & Cis-Lunar Space – Part II: AI for Healthcare
Moderator: Xiaoguang Dong
Featuring confirmed speakers:
This session explores the expanding role of AI in healthcare for LEO and cis-lunar space.
14:00 – 15:15 75 min Physical AI for Defending the Homeland – Part II: PAI augmented operations
This session focuses on integrating robust, verified Physical AI systems to advance autonomous operations in space defense.
Moderator: Ananth Grama (Purdue)
Panelists:
15:15 – 15:3015 minClosing & Wrap-Up
15:30 – End ~30+ min Writing Session:
– Create/Review AI Summary of Meeting
– Summary of Insights and Next Steps
Interested in Sponsoring? Contact Us!