The Moonhouse is a small, Falu red, aluminum "cottage" conceived by artist Mikael Genberg and flown in 2025 as a cultural payload together with ispace's Resilience lunar lander and the Tenacious micro-rover.The artifact was front-mounted on the rover for simple release and documentation.This article summarizes the idea and outreach intent, the practical engineering (materials/finish, holding-down and release mechanism, and drop-stability), and the analogue-site rehearsals performed at LUNA (ESA-DLR, EAC Cologne). We also outline illumination simulations for the intended site near Mare Frigoris, showing camera stand-off and Sun-relative yaw that would best emphasize shape and color. The mission followed a long, fuel-efficient transfer reaching as far as 1.1 million km from Earth before returning and achieving lunar orbit. On 5 June 2025 the landing attempt ended in a hard landing linked to a laser range-finder anomaly. While the artifact's final state is unknown, the project demonstrates that small cultural payloads can be engineered to fit tight mass/ volume and operational constraints, and that analogue rehearsals materially de-risk deployment and imaging.

Climate change mitigation may require transformative strategies beyond emission reduction. This paper introduces a technology roadmap for developing a Planetary Sunshade System: a space-based solar geoengineering concept designed for reversible Solar Radiation Management. The proposed roadmap is a structured, multi-phase plan from early technology demonstrations to full deployment at the Sun–Earth/Moon Center of Mass photo-gravitational Lagrange point. The roadmap addresses critical aspects such as solar-sail design, in-space assembly, swarm logistics, and launch infrastructure, while outlining milestones for initial operations by 2040 and full capability by 2080. By integrating technological, logistical, and programmatic considerations, this roadmap serves as a framework for assessing feasibility and guiding international collaboration on space-based climate interventions.

The Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a Super Pressure Balloon 2 (EUSO-SPB2) is a pathfinder mission toward a space-based observatory such as the Probe of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (POEMMA). The aim of POEMMA is the observation of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) in order to elucidate their nature and origins and to discover ≳ 20 PeV very high energy neutrinos that originate from transient and steady astrophysical sources. EUSO-SPB2 was launched from Wānaka New Zealand on May 13th, 2023 as a NASA Balloon Program Office test flight. The mission goals included making the first near-space altitude observations of the fluorescence emission from UHECR-induced extensive air showers (EASs) and making the first direct Cherenkov light emission from PeV cosmic rays traversing Earth's atmosphere. In addition, a Target of Opportunity program was developed for selecting and scheduling observations of potential neutrino sources as they passed just below the Earth's limb. Although a leaky balloon forced termination over the Pacific Ocean after 37 h, data was collected to demonstrate the successful commissioning and operation of the instruments. This paper includes a description of the payload and the key instruments, pre-flight instrument characterizations in the lab and in the desert, flight operations and examples of the data collected. The flight was too short to catch a UHECR event via fluorescence, however about 10 candidate EAS events from cosmic rays were recorded via Cherenkov light.

Mini-EUSO is a wide Field-of-View (44∘×44∘) telescope currently in operation from a nadir-facing Ultra-Violet (UV) transparent window in the Russian Zvezda module on the International Space Station (ISS). Mini-EUSO has been designed as a scaled-down version of the original JEM-EUSO telescope to raise its instrumentation's technological readiness level and demonstrate its observational principle, while performing multidisciplinary studies on different fields such as atmospheric science and planetology. One of Mini-EUSO main goals is the study of the UV background for future space missions employing the same concept as the original JEM-EUSO telescope, which requires an absolute calibration of the Mini-EUSO instrument. During the past years, a few observational campaigns have been completed, employing a ground-based UV flasher to perform an end-to-end calibration of the instrument. In this paper, we present the assembled UV flasher system, the operation of the field campaign and the analysis of the obtained data. The results are interpreted by the means of a parametrization of the Mini-EUSO photon counts. The end-to-end efficiency of several pixels has been obtained, taking into account different parameters such as the atmospheric attenuation, the optics efficiency and the multi-anode photomultiplier detection efficiency.

The Moonhouse is a small, Falu red, aluminum “cottage” conceived by artist Mikael Genberg and flown in 2025 as a cultural payload together with ispace’s Resilience lunar lander and the Tenacious micro-rover. The artifact was front-mounted on the rover for simple release and documentation. This article summarizes the idea and outreach intent, the practical engineering (materials/finish, holding-down and release mechanism, and drop-stability), and the analogue-site rehearsals performed at LUNA (ESA-DLR, EAC Cologne). We also outline illumination simulations for the intended site near Mare Frigoris, showing camera stand-off and Sun-relative yaw that would best emphasize shape and color. The mission followed a long, fuel-efficient transfer reaching as far as 1.1 million km from Earth before returning and achieving lunar orbit. On 5 June 2025 the landing attempt ended in a hard landing linked to a laser range-finder anomaly. While the artifact’s final state is unknown, the project demonstrates that small cultural payloads can be engineered to fit tight mass/volume and operational constraints, and that analogue rehearsals materially de-risk deployment and imaging.

Integrating high-fidelity spacecraft simulators with modular robotics frameworks remains a challenge for autonomy development. This paper presents a lightweight, open-source communication bridge between the Basilisk astro-dynamics simulator and the Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2), enabling real-time, bidirectional data exchange for spacecraft control. The bridge requires no changes to Basilisk's core and integrates seamlessly with ROS 2 nodes. We demonstrate its use in a leader-follower formation flying scenario using nonlinear model predictive control, deployed identically in both simulation and on the ATMOS planar microgravity testbed. This setup supports rapid development, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and seamless transition from simulation to hardware. The bridge offers a flexible and scalable platform for modular spacecraft autonomy and reproducible research workflows.

The Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a Super Pressure Balloon 2 (EUSO-SPB2) flew in May of 2023, marking an important step towards the observation of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECR) and neutrino-induced showers from space. The ultimate goal of this endeavor is to complement ground-based detectors and achieve unprecedented exposure and nearly uniform full-sky coverage at the highest energies, thereby enabling charged particle astronomy and enriching the multi-messenger approach to high-energy astrophysics and astroparticle physics. As a pathfinder to the POEMMA mission (Probe Of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics), EUSO-SPB2 flew two distinct cameras at the focus of two Schmidt telescopes, one made of multi-anode photomultiplier tubes (MAPMTs), looking towards the nadir for fluorescence light detection, the other made of Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), looking towards the limb of the Earth for direct Cherenkov light detection. The flight was terminated prematurely due to a failure in the balloon, and thus no showers were detected in the fluorescence mode. However, several lower-energy (PeV scale) cosmic-ray events were observed in the Cherenkov channel. The data collected by both telescopes also confirmed the pertinence and maturity of the technology. We will report on the mission’s cosmic ray results, and lessons learned for future balloon and satellite missions, notably the POEMMA Balloon with Radio (PBR), currently under development.

Mini-EUSO is the first space-borne detector of the JEM-EUSO (Joint Exploratory Missions for Extreme Universe Space Observatory) program, operating on the International Space Station (ISS) since October 2019. Designed to search for Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) above 10²¹ eV and capable of placing a stringent upper limit on their flux at these extreme energies, paving the way to future space-based UHECR observatories, Mini-EUSO has completed more than 150 observation sessions over five years, accumulating approximately 750 hours of data. The mission has produced the first global UV emission maps of Earth and provided valuable insights into lightning phenomena and Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), such as elves, as well as artificial light sources and meteors. Notably, Mini-EUSO has conducted the first systematic space-based meteor survey, detecting over 22,000 meteors and identifying three interstellar candidates. Among the observed TLEs, the most interesting class of phenomena are elves, which appear as expanding ring-shaped structures occurring at ∼90 km altitude. Mini-EUSO has detected elves with varying structures and different numbers of concentric rings, from single-ring up to five rings. Thanks to its imaging capabilities, fast time resolution, and favorable observational geometry, Mini-EUSO is uniquely suited to studying this kind of lightning phenomena, providing unprecedented insight into their dynamics. Additionally, the instrument has demonstrated the capability of a space-based detector to identify short light transients resembling extensive air shower signals while distinguishing them from those produced by UHECRs. This contribution presents a comprehensive summary of the Mini-EUSO mission, its status, and main results.

The JEM-EUSO (Joint Exploratory Missions for Extreme Universe Space Observatory) collaboration is an international initiative studying ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) and related phenomena. These particles, with energies exceeding 10²⁰ eV, provide insights into extreme astrophysical processes but remain challenging to detect due to their low flux. At the heart of JEM-EUSO’s technology is an ultra-fast, highly sensitive UV camera capable of detecting extensive air showers in the atmosphere with exceptional spatial and temporal resolution. In addition, a dedicated Cherenkov camera has been developed to evaluate the viability of the Earth-skimming technique from high altitudes. Fluorescence and Cherenkov detectors can be used together to create a hybrid detection surface, enhancing observational capabilities. This innovative approach enables detailed studies of fluorescence and Cherenkov light from cosmic ray and neutrino interactions. The JEM-EUSO technology will allow for observations from space to significantly increase the exposure to these rare phenomena. The collaboration employs a multi-platform strategy with ground-based experiments like EUSO-TA calibrating detection systems and validating models, and balloon-borne missions such as EUSO-Balloon and EUSO-SPB1/SPB2 demonstrating observations from the stratosphere and testing advanced technologies. Space-based missions, particularly Mini-EUSO on the ISS, have provided valuable data on UV backgrounds, transient luminous events, and meteoroids, as well as demonstrating the potential for future space-based detection. While we are developing a cross-platform methodology, we are ultimately moving towards space-based measurements. Future efforts include the POEMMA space mission, designed for stereoscopic observations of UHECRs and multi-messenger phenomena, the PBR (POEMMA Balloon with Radio) experiment, which integrates radio detection and is scheduled to fly in 2027, and the M-EUSO satellite mission, proposed to ESA and planned for launch in 2041, if accepted. Associated experiments also search for meteoroids and strange quark matter (for example, in the form of nuclearites), broadening the scientific scope. This presentation will summarize the progress of the JEM-EUSO collaboration, highlighting achievements across all platforms and outlining future plans.

Mini–EUSO (Multiwavelength Imaging New Instrument for the Extreme Universe Space Observatory, known as UV atmosphere in the Russian Space Program) is the first mission of the JEM-EUSO program on board the International Space Station. It was launched in August 2019 and it is operating since October 2019 being located in the Russian section (Zvezda module) of the station and viewing our planet from a nadir-facing UV-transparent window. The instrument is based on the concept of the original JEM-EUSO mission and consists of an optical system employing two Fresnel lenses of 25 cm each and a focal surface composed of 36 Multi-Anode Photomultiplier tubes, 64 channels each, for a total of 2304 channels with single photon counting sensitivity and an overall field of view of 44^◦×44^◦. Mini-EUSO can map the night-time Earth in the near UV range (predominantly between 290 nm and 430 nm), with a spatial resolution of about 6 km and different temporal resolutions of 2.5 μs, 320 μs and 41 ms. Mini-EUSO observations are extremely important to better assess the potential of a space-based detector in studying Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs) such as K-EUSO and POEMMA. In this contribution we focus the attention on the results of the UV measurements and we place them in the context of UHECR observations from space, namely the estimation of exposure for the planned M-EUSO (Multi-messenger Extreme Universe Space Observatory) mission.