Horizon 2025: Advancing space research readiness
Startups and researchers gain incomparable experience in conducting research in zero gravity
Horizon 2025 - Photo credit: Zero Gravity Corporation
This May Aurelia Academy chartered its fourth Horizon zero gravity flight, taking a new cohort of fliers on a parabolic flight to conduct experiments and execute projects following their successful completion of our Microgravity Project Design course. We collaborated this year on a shared flight opportunity with the MIT Space Exploration Initiative—the organization from which Aurelia was spun out!
The 2025 Horizon cohort, comprising twelve participants from fellowships, nonprofits, and startups conducted wide-ranging experiments across robotics, biotechnology, space medicine, and more—all unified by Aurelia's mission of making space research accessible to a new generation of professionals.
Startup experiments: Autonomous systems, infrastructure, and deployable structures in space
Photo credit: Zero Gravity Corporation
Lodestar Space joined Aurelia for their second microgravity flight, with engineers Kiran de Silva and Shiven Chandarana testing the company’s TARS robotic arm, part of their dual-use application platform designed to inspect, protect, and repair high-value assets in space. Their experiment focused on autonomous capture capabilities, with the robot arm successfully tracking and catching moving targets including cubesat and ESPA ring simulators in the weightless environment.
The team successfully validated their machine vision and path planning algorithms under microgravity conditions, despite challenges with the short bursts of microgravity and placing targets for the robotic arm’s grasp.
The Lodestar team's advice for future fliers? "Bring spare parts, rehearse the procedure and be mindful of the time restrictions," noted Kiran, emphasizing the importance of thorough preparation for the brief but intense experimental windows.
Photo credit: Zero Gravity Corporation
Overview Energy also joined the Horizon cohort for the second time, this year to test their deployable truss structure technology. CEO Marc Berte, hardware development engineer Matthew Thomas, and aerospace engineer Vitaliy Grigoryev conducted experiments with the company’s DUST (Deployable Ultra-Stowable Truss) system. The project demonstrated a multi-stage deployment mechanism that transforms from a compact folded configuration into an expanded truss structure.
The team successfully completed all their planned testing objectives. This deployable truss technology represents a significant advancement for future space infrastructure, enabling compact launch configurations that expand into far larger operational structures once in orbit.
Photo credit: Zero Gravity Corporation
OrbitAID CEO Sakthi Kumar R demonstrated the company’s patented SIDRP interface for satellite docking and refueling operations, conducting simulated rendezvous and fluid transfer tests between satellite models. His experiment validated key technologies for future in-orbit servicing missions that could extend satellite lifespans and reduce space debris. Chava Friedman, a Matthew Isakowitz Fellow, supported OrbitAid’s experiment during the flight.
"The zero-g flight was a powerful reminder that theory and simulation can only take you so far—real-world testing is essential," Sakthi reflected. “Experiencing how our systems behaved in microgravity gave me new insights into docking alignment challenges, hardware responsiveness, and crew interaction dynamics. It reinforced the importance of designing for simplicity, precision, and resilience in space. Personally, it deepened my commitment to building practical, scalable in-orbit servicing solutions. This flight didn’t just validate our tech—it reaffirmed the vision behind it.”
Photo credit: Zero Gravity Corporation
Wainamics sent a test of their Microfluidic Bio-Containment system—a compact platform designed to enable cell culture studies under space conditions. The NASA SBIR-funded technology allows researchers to study biological specimens under the combined effects of deep-space radiation and microgravity. Supporting the experiment on the flight was Makiah Eustice, a Brooke Owens Fellow.
“For future flyers, I suggest taking as much documentation as possible [during the flight]. Even If it's small things, take it for yourself. The experience will go by so fast, so your preparation on how you feel, communicating the impact of your project and experience will help you. And don't beat yourself up about things you wish you'd done better or mistakes made,” Makiah advises.
Fellows and students explore high-tech experiment design and research collaboration
Photo credit: Zero Gravity Corporation
Ashley Kowalski, representing the Space Generation Advisory Council, conducted research into how microgravity affects human thermoregulation by continuously monitoring skin and core body temperature throughout the flight. Her study aims to better understand how altered blood flow distribution in weightlessness might impact astronauts’ performance and long-term health.
“It is important to understand the effects of microgravity on human thermoregulation during spaceflight given the altered skin blood flow distribution that occurs in microgravity. Monitoring circadian body temperature is important due to its association with the development of optic disc edema during long duration spaceflight,” Ashley explains. “Essentially, what we will likely prove with my current data is the feasibility of the methodology. This was the main goal of the project. The secondary goal was getting quality data in order to really understand the temperature variations in the microgravity environment.”
Photo credit: Zero Gravity Corporation
Vittorio Netti from the AIAA Space Architecture Technical Committee (SATC) brought one of the flight's most technologically complex experiments: testing an Extended Reality framework for space habitat design validation. Wearing a VR headset, biosensor suite, and EEG cap, Vittorio worked to execute a series of tasks designed to compare behavioral data collected in Earth-based simulations with actual microgravity performance.
“The purpose of the XR Framework is to streamline the use of XR for HITL testing across the aerospace industry,” explains Vittorio. “Designed on a triple-layer evaluation system, it is based on the most diffused Human-System Integration evaluation tools, while harnessing XR technology to enhance the immersivity level of the testing scenarios.”
Sumaiya Abedin, a Zenith Pathways Canada Fellow who supported Vittorio’s project during the flight, emphasized the value of preparing for the experience through the Microgravity Project Design course. “It is a very useful project design course. This course is going to be useful for my current master's thesis program, as the thesis is based on reduced gravity experimentation.”
Former NASA Astronaut and MIT Professor Jeffrey Hoffman speaks with fellowship flier Elle Roc.. Photo credit: Zero Gravity Corporation
Anaelle "Elle" Roc, a Patti Grace Smith Fellow, conducted audio interviews with other researchers during the flight for her "On The Air" project. Her work explores radio's unique potential for making space research accessible to broader audiences, creating content that she plans to turn into a podcast highlighting the diverse research and researchers who have access to space through programs like Horizon.
"I did not expect to feel so at peace during the microgravity portions," Elle reflected on her zero-gravity experience, noting how the profound calm of weightlessness contrasted with her expectations. “It makes me realize that, post-PhD, I do want to stay in the technical world for a while—the project experience was exhilarating, and so I don’t think my time there is over just yet.”
Jasmine LeFlore, representing a collaborative effort from the Equity Space Alliance Association and Greater than Tech, worked with high school students from E3 Civic High School in San Diego to test smart socks equipped with sensors to monitor foot pressure, movement, temperature, and muscle activity. Jasmine led a group of students in designing the experiment, then joined the flight to test it out along with student Darcy Torres Navarro.
Photo credit: Zero Gravity Corporation
Aurelia volunteer Ben Greaves, a PhD student at CU Boulder Bioastronautics, also supported testing of the latest TESSERAE self-assembling architecture tiles, continuing the project's evolution toward future deployment as a crew-scale space habitat platform. Ben ran the final test of the Gen-5 tiles before they are deployed to the ISS for their next spaceflight mission.
Across all projects, participants emphasized the critical importance of thorough preparation, robust equipment design, and realistic expectations for the brief but intense microgravity periods — as well as embracing the wonder of the experience while staying focused on experimental objectives.
And in Other News at Aurelia
In case you missed it: watch Ariel Ekblaw’s new TED talk, “How to build in space for life on Earth,” today!
Space Garden continues its exhibit at the Biennale Architettura 2025, curated by Carlo Ratti. Ariel Ekblaw and Heatherwick studio’s Stuart Wood spoke with WIRED about the orbiting greenhouse concept.
On the Ex Terra podcast from the Journal of Space Commerce, Aurelia’s senior mechatronics engineer Evan Hilgemann chats with Tom Patton about Aurelia’s mission-oriented approach to developing the TESSERAE self-assembling space habitat technology.