HAWAII'S PORTAL TO SPACE

Researching and developing new products, technologies and industries to benefit the State of Hawaii and space exploration.
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CORE OBJECTIVES

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Support for aerospace and technology initiatives to diversify Hawaii’s economy and increase job opportunities.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT 

Hands-on work opportunities for Hawaii’s next generation of explorers, scientists, engineers and programmers.

APPLIED RESEARCH

Research and development for technologies and products that benefit the State of Hawaii and space exploration missions.

STEM PROGRAMS

WiSE TALKS

A virtual talk series featuring women working on cutting edge space exploration missions. 

WOMEN’S STARS PROGRAM

A space & science summer camp to encourage young women in Hawaii to pursue careers in STEM.

HI-SEARCh COMPETITION

An international, college-level robotics competition in Hawaii inspired by NASA’s Lunabotics.

LATEST NEWS

Economic Recovery in Hawaii: The Case for Aerospace

by | February 8, 2021 | Aerospace Stories, Blog, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

Above: HAPSMobile’s unmanned aerial system platform could launch from Hawaii to provide wireless connectivity on the ground. Image courtesy of HAPSMobile. During the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated Hawaii’s economy and demonstrated the disadvantages of...
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NASA’s Perseverance Rover Approaches Tricky Mars Landing

by | February 8, 2021 | Aerospace Stories, Blog, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

Above: Perseverance touches down on Mars aided by a jet-powered sky crane in this artist rendering. Credit: NASA-JPL. After more than six months in flight, NASA’s Perseverance rover will touch down on the Red Planet on Feb. 18 at noon PST, beginning a new era of...
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New Sintering Method May Reduce Cost of ISRU Production for Earth, Moon and Mars

by | January 5, 2021 | Aerospace Stories, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

Above: A durable new basalt tile uses a binding agent to reduce energy use. After nearly a year of research, PISCES scientists have developed a new ISRU (in-situ resource utilization) process that significantly reduces the time and energy needed to produce sintered...
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H4LO Program Offers Remote Testing at Analog Site for Moon and Mars

by | January 5, 2021 | Aerospace Stories, Blog, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

Above: Helelani analog rover at NELHA’s HOST Park analog site (aerial shown below). PISCES is launching a new program offering remote or on-site access to a lunar analog environment with a planetary rover. Called Hawaiʻi Analog for Lunar Operations (H4LO), the program...
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Helelani Rover’s Comm Systems Upgraded for Mobile Ops

by | January 5, 2021 | Aerospace Stories, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

The Helelani analog rover inside its new home, “Moku” or Mobile Operations Kommand Unit. The PISCES planetary analog rover Helelani got an upgrade to its communication systems last month with the help of an undergrad student, Blue Planet Foundation, Digital Evolution...
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Using ISRU 3D Printing Systems for Sustainable Construction on Earth

by | December 11, 2020 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

RedWorks is testing various types of dirt and sand to create feedstock for 3D printing systems that can build habitats on Earth and in space. Credit: RedWorks By: Keegan Kirkpatrick - Founder & CEO, RedWorks RedWorks Construction Technologies Inc. is proud to be...
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Chang’e-5 Mission to Retrieve Lunar Samples

by | December 11, 2020 | Aerospace Stories, Blog, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

Chang’e 5 blasts off on a Long March 5 heavy lift rocket from Wenchang Space Launch Center on Nov. 23. Credit: CNSA/CAS China is on track to return to Earth the first lunar surface samples in more than four decades. On Nov. 23, the China National Space Administration...
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First NASA-Certified Commercial Spaceflight Carries Astronauts to ISS

by | December 11, 2020 | Aerospace Stories, Blog, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

Above: The crew of Resilience inside the Crew Dragon cockpit. Credit: SpaceX SpaceX broke new ground in space flight again last month after successfully launching a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station aboard its Crew Dragon spacecraft. Launched...
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Water Discovered on Sunlit Surface of Moon for First Time

by | November 3, 2020 | Aerospace Stories, Blog, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

An artist rendering shows the location of the sunlit crater on the moon where water molecules were recently discovered using a NASA telescope. Credit: NASA/Daniel Rutter For the first time ever, scientists have confirmed the presence of water on the sunlit surface of...
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NASA Nails Historic Asteroid Landing for Sample Return

by | November 3, 2020 | Aerospace Stories, Blog, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

Artist rendering of OSIRIS-REx readying itself for landing on Bennu. Credit: NASA Goddard/University of Arizona. NASA’s first-ever sample return mission from an asteroid is on track to bring a handful of primordial rock dust back to Earth. The agency successfully...
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WiSE Talks Highlight Leading Women in Space Exploration

by | November 3, 2020 | Aerospace Stories, Blog, Education, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

When eight of the world’s best and brightest women working in space exploration come together, magic happens. The first Women in Space Exploration (WiSE) Talks series hosted by PISCES featured a full week of virtual presentations covering our solar system, robotic...
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UH Focuses on Developing Next-Gen Aerospace Engineers

by | November 3, 2020 | Aerospace Stories, Education, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

(L-R) UH Mānoa engineering students Adam James Macalalag, Eric Takahashi, Efren Enriquez and Matthew Nakamura hold a rocket they built and launched as part of the Spaceport America Cup competition in 2019. Credit: UH By: Dr. Brennon Morioka, Dean of UH Mānoa College...
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Registration now Open for WiSE Talks Virtual Series

by | September 1, 2020 | Aerospace Stories, Blog, Education, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

The public is invited to participate in a free virtual event highlighting women who work on the cutting edge of space exploration. The Women in Space Exploration (WiSE) Talks series, organized by PISCES in partnership with Microsoft and Hawaii Science and Technology...
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Hawaiʻi Space Flight Lab CubeSat Set for Launch with NASA

by | September 1, 2020 | Aerospace Stories, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

Above: Students adding a solar panel to the Neutron-1 3U cubesat inside a cleanroom at HSFL. The inside panel contains labels with the names of all the students and faculty involved. Credit: HSFL. After six years in development, a small satellite built by the Hawaiʻi...
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Basalt Launchpad Tiles to Undergo Testing by NASA

by | September 1, 2020 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

Above: Geology Tech Kyla Edison removes basalt launchpad tiles from their casting molds after sintering. PISCES completed a large batch of sintered basalt tiles last month for testing by NASA’s Swamp Works at Kennedy Space Center. Thirty tiles will be assessed as a...
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UH Mānoa Aerospace Engineering Program Launches Website

by | September 1, 2020 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Engineering Aerospace Engineering Program (AEP) now has a dedicated website with a variety of resources for students interested in spaceflight studies and careers. Launched in Spring 2020 under the Department of Mechanic...
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Students get Hands-on Aerospace Work through HSFL

by | September 1, 2020 | Uncategorized | 0 Comments

By: Luke Flynn, Director of Hawai‘i Space Flight Laboratory Above: Students who worked on the Neutron-1 cubesat. Credit: HSFL. In 2007, the Hawai‘i Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL) was created to design, build, test, launch and operate small satellites (<100 kg) from...
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Spaceflight Startup Announces Plan to Launch Space Tours in Stratosphere

by | July 1, 2020 | Aerospace Stories, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

Hawaii is among the planned launch locations A new human spaceflight startup has revealed its plans to launch suborbital space tours for the public in less than five years. The Space Perspective, billed as “the off-world travel company,” held a press event on June 18...
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Demonstrating Spacecraft Technology in Zero Gravity

by | July 1, 2020 | Aerospace Stories, Front Page Slide, Latest News | 0 Comments

By: Dr. Frances Zhu, Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology During my PhD, I had the pleasure of flying in two micro-gravity flight campaigns to demonstrate a spacecraft docking mechanism consisting of magnets and...
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OUR MISSION

PISCES is a state-funded, Hawaii aerospace agency under the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT). Based in Hilo, we are working to position the state as a leader in space exploration while developing sustainable products and technologies that benefit the State of Hawaii. Through initiatives in Economic Development, Workforce Development and Applied Research, we offer hands-on work experience for the next generation of explorers, scientists and engineers, preparing them to meet the demands  of a highly competitive industry while improving  the local economy through job diversification, innovative products and new industries.