Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES)

Your launchpad to developing STEM-related career skills and experience through unique, hands-on aerospace projects.
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Our Mission

PISCES is a research and education program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s College of Natural & Health Sciences. We work to advance sustainable resource utilization and technology for Hawaiʻi, the Moon, and beyond. Through projects in applied research, robotics, and aerospace development, we help young explorers dream big and pursue space-related careers.

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Our Work

sintered basalt tiles

Applied Research


Dual-use technologies for earth and space exploration

sintered basalt tiles

Aerospace Development


Growing and diversifying Hawaiʻi's economy

student working on a robot

Education & Outreach


Internships, resources, and STEM programs for students in Hawaiʻi

Latest News

Second Test Flight for SpaceX’s Starship Ends in Explosion but Achieves Key Milestones

Image credit: SpaceX SpaceX’s Starship—the largest and most powerful rocket ever built—embarked on a second launch attempt on Nov. 18 that...
A rocket blasts off from a launchpad in a desert surrounded by mountain plains.

NASA TechLeap Challenge Seeks Innovative Space Tech Solutions for Big Prize Money

Image credit: NASA Attention, space enthusiasts! NASA is inviting college students and innovators to join the Universal Payload Interface...

Forging the Future: PISCES & Cislune Research Cast Basalt for Lunar Construction

PISCES team members working at the Lava Lab pour molten basalt into casting molds to produce early prototypes of trusses and joints for...
NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program patch

Develop STEM Skills in NASA’s Community College Aerospace Scholars Program

Applications are now open for the 2024 cohort of NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS). NCAS consists of three missions...
2024 Akamai Internship Program flyer

Applications Open for 2024 Akamai Internship Program

Are you a STEM student enrolled at a University of Hawaiʻi campus, or from Hawaiʻi and attending a mainland college? You may be eligible...