# IROS 2026 plenary: NASA, JAXA and academia discuss space robotics

- Source: IEEE RAS
- Published: 2026-11-04T05:00:48.000Z
- RoboHot: https://robohot.news/en/items/a31dzf1wzzjr3kv6j8qmquxac
- Original: https://www.ieee-ras.org/space-robotics-notes-from-an-iros-2026-plenary-session/

## Summary

An IROS 2026 plenary session focused on space robotics, with experts from NASA, JAXA and academia discussing the roles of robots in lunar exploration, human spaceflight and in-orbit operations. After pausing the Gateway program, NASA shifted to the MoonBase project, with an initial operating capability targeted for 2029; robots will be needed to build modules, transport supplies and enable in-situ resource utilization. JAXA's MMX mission sampling robot needs to collect more than 10 grams of regolith in under a minute.