Icarus Robotics has tested its free-flying Joy robot on four parabolic flights in Canada, accumulating 22 minutes of microgravity operations ahead of a planned 2027 demonstration on the International Space Station. The tests evaluated Joy’s flight controller, sensor suite and dexterous manipulation capabilities. The company also rehearsed scheduling, crew coordination and safety procedures needed for an orbital mission.
Icarus is expected to hand Joy over to NASA in January for transport to the ISS. The Canadian campaign highlights a US infrastructure gap: no US-based operator is currently offering parabolic flights, while Zero-G’s flights are temporarily paused. Such testing is important as companies develop robotic systems intended to support future commercial stations, orbital data centers and lunar infrastructure.
https://spacenews.com/icarus-robotics-tests-joy-in-canada-ahead-of-iss-flight/
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2026-09-17 13:55:32 UTC
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2026-09-17 13:55:32 UTCEvent JSON
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"content": "Icarus Robotics has tested its free-flying Joy robot on four parabolic flights in Canada, accumulating 22 minutes of microgravity operations ahead of a planned 2027 demonstration on the International Space Station. The tests evaluated Joy’s flight controller, sensor suite and dexterous manipulation capabilities. The company also rehearsed scheduling, crew coordination and safety procedures needed for an orbital mission.\n\nIcarus is expected to hand Joy over to NASA in January for transport to the ISS. The Canadian campaign highlights a US infrastructure gap: no US-based operator is currently offering parabolic flights, while Zero-G’s flights are temporarily paused. Such testing is important as companies develop robotic systems intended to support future commercial stations, orbital data centers and lunar infrastructure.\n\nhttps://spacenews.com/icarus-robotics-tests-joy-in-canada-ahead-of-iss-flight/",
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