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SpaceCHI 4.0 at the European Astronaut Centre

June 23-24, 2025

After three successful annual workshops, SpaceCHI is evolving into a standalone conference, dedicated to advancing human-computer interaction (HCI) in one of the most exciting and challenging domains: space exploration. We welcome submissions from researchers and practitioners in academia, industry, and beyond, across disciplines such as HCI, aerospace engineering, psychology, human factors, robotics, and space science. Join us in pushing the boundaries of technology, design, and human experience in the context of space exploration! 

Important Dates: 

  • Submission – 31st March 2025, 23:59 AoE  
  • Notification – 14th of April 18th of April 2025
  • Camera ready – 30th of April 16th of May 2025
  • Conference – 23rd and 24th of June 2025

Submission Guidelines

To contribute to SpaceCHI 2025, please submit a paper on a topic related to HCI in space exploration, including (but not limited to):

  • Human-AI Interaction for Space Exploration
  • On-body/Wearable Technology for Space Health
  • Human-Robot Interaction for Deep Space Mission
  • Interfaces for Human Expression in Space
  • Trust within Autonomous and Intelligent Systems
  • Cognitive load and Human Performance Issues
  • Computer-supported Cooperative Work
  • Space Fabrication
  • Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality
  • Space Food & Humanizing Space
  • Built Environment & Space Architecture
  • Smart Vehicles & Navigation
  • Digital Fabrication for Space Missions

Submissions should follow the OASIcs style template, available for download here. We welcome a variety of submissions, including full research papers, position papers, and work-in-progress papers. While there is no strict page limit, the length of each submission should correspond to the scope and significance of its contributions. Most SpaceCHI submissions typically range between 5 and 15 pages. Examples of papers from previous years can be found here, here or here.

All submissions must be anonymized.

 

 
 

Papers will be selected through a single round of double-blind peer review. Submissions will be evaluated based on:

  • Relevance: Alignment with the theme of HCI in the space domain.
  • Impact: Potential to stimulate meaningful community discussion.
  • Originality: Novel contributions to the field.

The authors of accepted papers will be invited to submit a camera-ready manuscript for inclusion in the conference proceedings. Accepted papers will be published as part of the OpenAccess Series in Informatics (OASIcs), a peer-reviewed, open-access series hosted by Schloss Dagstuhl. The proceedings will be indexed, assigned a DOI, and made publicly available under a CC-BY-4.0 license.

At least one author of each accepted paper must register for and attend the conference to present their work. Remote participation is possible. By submitting a paper, authors confirm that neither this paper nor a closely related version is under submission or will be submitted elsewhere before notification by SpaceCHI. All submissions are made using CMT by following this link.

Due to the limited capacity of our conference venue at ESA EAC, we prioritize attendees who are presenting papers. However, depending on final registrations, a small number of additional on-site spots may become available. These will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, with final availability confirmed after the submission period closes. If you are interested in attending in person without presenting, please reach out to us, and we will notify you as soon as we have more details.

For those who do not secure an on-site spot, we offer a remote participation option via Zoom, allowing attendees to follow all presentations and discussions. The registration fee for remote participation is reduced.

The European Astronaut Centre 

The conference will take place at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. As the hub for the European Space Agency’s astronaut corps, EAC is responsible for astronaut selection, training, and mission support. Conference attendees will be given a tour of the centre and its key facilities, including the cutting-edge LUNA analogue testbed, designed to replicate lunar surface conditions. We are also working to confirm the participation of experienced astronauts and other uniquely qualified experts in the field. More details on this will be announced soon.

Registration

 

Registration for conference attendees will open once the submissions have been reviewed and notifications sent out to the authors (14th of April). Instructions will be provided on this website. As a nonprofit conference, SpaceCHI aims to keep costs as low as possible for its participants. Nevertheless, charging a registration fee is still necessary to cover essential expenses such as open access publishing and logistics. The fee for on-site participants will be €275, while remote presenters will be charged €200. ESA has kindly offered to sponsor a limited number of student attendees with a registration fee waiver and a small travel stipend via the ESA Academy Conference Student Sponsorship – please see below for further detail. If you are a student and your paper gets selected for presentation at SpaceCHI, we will be in touch with you shortly after the paper acceptance notification. 

Contact

For questions regarding submissions and other conference matters, please contact the co-chairs Leonie Bensch or Tommy Nilsson. We normally respond to enquiries within hours. If you have not heard back from us, please check your spam folder.

We are actively seeking sponsors to support SpaceCHI 4.0 and future editions of the conference. If you are interested in collaborating with us, please reach out to the co-chairs.

The ESA Education Office is pleased to sponsor of up to 4 tertiary education students to attend SpaceCHI in the frame of the ESA Academy Conference Student Sponsorship programme. The sponsorship will cover the registration fees (directly paid by ESA Education Office) and provide a maximum reimbursement of EUR 540 towards travel and accommodation expenses, which will be reimbursed via a single bank transfer after the event and will only be paid upon submission of receipts. 

To be eligible for an ESA Academy Student Sponsorship, students must fulfil the following criteria at the time of application: 

  • individually present an accepted paper at the conference.  
  • be minimum 18 years old at the time of the conference; 
  • be a citizen of an ESA Member State, Associate Member, or Canada; 
  • be enrolled as a student (Bsc, Msc, or Ph.D.) in a tertiary education academic programme (not graduating before the Conference); 
  • not benefit from an overlapping financial support to attend this conference, unless duly justified; 

Priority will be given to students who have less than 2 years of professional experience and have never taken part in an activity sponsored by the ESA Education Office. 

The application form will be distributed to relevant candidates after the notifications of accepted papers have been made public.  

The decision by the Selection Committee will be communicated by the end of April. 

ESA is committed to achieving diversity and creating an inclusive environment. To this end, applications from all eligible candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability, social origin or other characteristics are welcome. 

 

Steering Committee

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  • Tommy Nilsson, ESA EAC / Fraunhofer FIT
    Leonie Bensch, MIT Media Lab/ ESA EAC / German Aerospace Center
    Albrecht Schmidt, LMU Munich
    Pat Pataranutaporn, MIT Media Lab
    Valentina Sumini, MIT Media Lab
    Martin Nisser, University of Washington
    Joseph Paradiso, MIT Media Lab
    Aidan Cowley, ESA EAC
    Dava Newman, MIT Media Lab
    Cody Paige, MIT Media Lab
    Minoo Rathnasabapathy, MIT Media Lab
    Rachel Connolly, MIT Media Lab
    Marianna Obrist, University College London
    Scott Davidoff, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
    Leif Oppermann, Fraunhofer FIT
    Conrad Zeidler, DLR
    Amber M. Paul, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, NASA ARC, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science
    Dorit Donoviel, Translational Research Institute for Space Health
    Sands Fish, MIT Media Lab
    Ariel Ekblaw, MIT Media Lab
    Pattie Maes, MIT Media Lab
    Melodie Yashar, San Jose State Research Foundation, NASA Ames
    Alonso H. Vera, NASA Ames
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