Mmaars

We at Mmaars wish to congratulate our partners, VASTX, for this achievement!

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE: 26th March, 2026.
VASTX Selected by UK Space Agency.
We are honored to share that VASTX (Virtual Astronaut Simulator for Therapeutics and Exploration) has been selected by the UK Space Agency under the "Skills for Space STEAM Education Programme" funding grant. This recognition reflects our mission to advance AI-driven digital twin technologies, space pharmacokinetics, and precision space medicine to optimize human health in space and extreme environments. It also reinforces our role in developing the Next-Gen space workforce at the intersection of space medicine, AI, and translational science. Through this initiative, VASTX will mentor emerging talent in space pharmacology, AI, and advanced biomedical systems, supporting the future of long-duration spaceflight and planetary habitation.

As Dame Commander Dr. Susan Ip-Jewell, MD, Co-Founder of VASTX and MMAARS, shares, “It is a profound honor to be recognized and to help shape the future of the global space workforce. Advancing AI-driven precision medicine is essential to ensuring safe and sustainable human space exploration.”

In collaboration with Mmaars, we are further expanding the field of space pharmacology and AI-powered digital twins, enabling human survival and performance in austere, isolated, confined, and extreme (I.C.E.) environments in space and on Earth. This milestone strengthens our commitment to delivering mission-critical health solutions for humanity’s future beyond Earth.

🌐 www.VASTX.space | www.MMAARS.com
Contact: [email protected]

Honored to announce MMAARS CEO, Dame Commander Dr. Susan Ip-Jewell, MD, abstract was accepted at AIAA 2026, along with Dr. Raj Badhan, CEO of VASTX, at the ISSR&D (International Space Station Research & Development) Conference in Washington, DC, in May.
So excited that our pioneering, cutting-edge AI-driven digital twin in space pharmacology research has been accepted for presentation at two prestigious international venues in the global space research community:
🔹 AIAA - The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 2026 Conference
Washington, DC | May 19–21, 2026 https://www.ascend.events/
🔹 ISSR&D Conference – Scientific & Technical Track
International Space Station Research & Development Conference
In collaboration with the ISS National Laboratory https://issconference.org/
This recognition represents a validation of our research advancing Space Pharmacology, Digital Twin Medicine, and Precision Therapeutics for human spaceflight.
📄 Presentations
1. ASCEND 2026
VASTX: Virtual Astronaut Simulator for Therapeutics and Exploration – A Digital Twin Physiological-Based Pharmacokinetics (PBPK) Model for Space Pharmacy
2. ISSR&D Technical Session
Development and Application of a Translational Digital Twin Platform for Space Medicine Pharmacology and ISS Research
As humanity prepares for long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, understanding how pharmaceuticals behave in altered gravity environments is critical for:
• Precision drug dosing in space
• Astronaut health and mission safety
• Personalized medicine for exploration crews
• Translational benefits for healthcare on Earth

Our work integrates space medicine, computational pharmacology, AI-enabled digital twins, and analog astronaut research conducted through Mmaars (Mars-Moon Astronautics Academy & Research Sciences) missions.

Key collaborators are an exceptional international team:
🔬 Raj Badhan, PhD
Professor of Pharmaceutics and Translational Pharmacology, Aston University
CEO & Co-Founder of VASTX
🧠 Dr. Krys Strand, PhD
Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the Neuroscience Program
Concordia College
🧬 Dr. Stefan Green, PhD
Director, Genomics and Microbiome Core Facility
Associate Professor, Rush University Medical Center
🧬 Dr. Christopher Mason, PhD
Professor of Genomics, Physiology, and Biophysics
Weill Cornell Medicine
Principal Investigator of the NASA Twins Study, one of the most comprehensive multi-omics studies of human spaceflight
We are also grateful for early support from Boryung, the global pharmaceutical company headquartered in South Korea, which invested in VASTX through the Humans-in-Space Challenge, helping advance this technology toward spaceflight applications.

We are proud to have signed a multi-year partnership with VASTX and an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) - Co-founders of MMAARS, ie, Dame Commander, Dr. Susan Jewell, MD, DCEG, DOD, Dame Emmy Jewell, MSC, PhDc, DEG, and Nicholas Jewell, KEG, to conduct the testing and validation of VASTX technology in the upcoming multi-fidelity in-person analog astronaut missions.

CONGRATULATIONS!! So very Proud. Grateful. Honored. Our MMAARS amazing team of scientists and space medicine experts has been accepted to present at this highly competitive Aerospace Medical Association hashtag conference!
We are honored to announce that our TWO peer-reviewed abstracts have been accepted for slide (oral) presentation at the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) Annual Scientific Meeting, Denver, Colorado. This annual conference is one of the most selective and prestigious forums in the world for aerospace medicine, human performance, and space health.
AsMA abstracts undergo rigorous peer review by leading experts across aerospace medicine, space physiology, pharmacology, behavioral health, and human spaceflight operations. Acceptance is not automatic, and having two abstracts accepted in different high-impact technical sessions is a significant professional and scientific achievement.
This outcome validates the scientific rigor of our research, the credibility and depth of our teams, the operational relevance of our work and the importance of these solutions for advancing space medicine and space exploration

Accepted Presentations:
Virtual Astronaut Simulator for Therapeutics and Exploration, VASTX: AI-Driven Digital Twin Pharmacokinetics Framework for Predicting Drug Behavior in Microgravity
Session: From the Pharm | May 18, 2026
This work positions VASTX as mission-critical infrastructure, addressing one of the most urgent gaps in spaceflight: how drugs actually behave in microgravity and extreme environments.

2. A Multi-Agentic AI Governance System for Behavioral Health (MAGSBH) in Analog Astronaut I.C.E. Missions
Session: Critical Skills: Commercial Space and Analogs | May 21, 2026
This research advances AI governance, crew safety, and behavioral health resilience for isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) missions directly relevant to commercial spaceflight and planetary exploration.

👏 Huge shout-out to our extraordinary teams
VASTX www.VASTX.space
MMAARS (Mars-Moon Astronautics Academy & Research Sciences) - www.MMAARS.com
Dr. Raj Badhan, PhD Dr Jesus Guerra, MD MSc Sebastian Valencen, BSc BA Madhumitha Srinivasan, BSc Surabhi Sonawane, BSc Raul Mariani, BSc MSc Dr. Krys Strand, PhD
Dr. Stefan Green, PhD Dr. Dr. Jeremy Saget, MD

CONGRATULATIONS TO MMAARS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH TEAMS AND ANALOG ASTRONAUTS!! ACCEPTED TO PRESENT AT THE PRESTIGIOUS American Institute for Aerospace and Astronautics. SCI-TECH 2026 Conference!

🌌 Advancing Human Space Exploration at AIAA SciTech 2026 "Where Science Meets the Future of Humanity" January 12–16, 2026 | Orlando, FL

We at are very honored to announce that Dame Commander Dr. Susan Ip-Jewell, MD, and CEO of MMAARS, a veteran Analog Astronaut, and Principal Investigator advancing integrative space medicine and AI-driven human performance, together with Valence, BSc, MMAARS Virtual Analog Astronaut Graduate, co-Lead of MMAARS Astro-Wellness & Human Space Health Program, and an Expert Health & Wellness Coach, will present their pioneering research at AIAA SciTech 2026, the world’s leading aerospace science and engineering forum.

Humanity’s transition into a multi-planetary species will demand new paradigms in medicine, psychology, AI, and extreme environment adaptation. Our presentations bring together rigorous scientific methodology and a forward-looking vision for the future of human space exploration.

🧠 MMAARS MAGSBH Agentic AI Model: A decentralized, multi-agent AI governance system designed to support behavioral, psychological, and clinical decision-making for astronauts during long-duration missions. This architecture integrates autonomous reasoning layers, risk-adaptive behavioral modeling, and mission-context awareness. It is currently being validated through MMAARS Virtual Analog Astronautics missions, with deployment planned across high-fidelity, multi-fidelity and multi-habitat analog missions in 2026.

🧬 MMAARS Analog Astronaut OMICS Library Project (AAOLP): A landmark longitudinal, multi-fidelity study capturing biopsychosocial, genomic, epigenetic, physiologic, and digital phenotyping data from analog astronaut crews. AAOLP aims to establish precision countermeasures, predictive analytics, and human resilience frameworks for survival and flourishing in isolated, confined, extreme (I.C.E.) environments, our training grounds for lunar, Martian, and deep space habitation.

At MMAARS, we believe that advancing into the cosmos requires more than engineering excellence; it requires ethical AI governance, precision health, holistic human performance systems, and a profound understanding of the human organism from molecules to mind. These initiatives represent our commitment to building the scientific, psychological, and technological foundations that will enable humanity not only to reach other worlds but to thrive there.

🌍 Visit MMAARS dot com. Join our projects and have the opportunity to join MMAARS' In-Person analog missions.

Excited to announce our CEO Dame Commander Dr Susan Ip-Jewell, MD, will be a speaker at the upcoming British Interplanetary Society (BIS) virtual "5th Beyond the Moon 2025" Conference. Topic will cover "A Multi-Agent AI Governance System for Behavioral Health (MAGSBH) Model for Space Exploration." This project is currently conducted by MMAARS (Mars-Moon Astronautics Academy and Research Sciences), a multi-year, multi-site habitation analog astronaut missions under MMAARS's unique Virtual Analog Astronaut crews and In-Person Analog Astronaut missions. MMAARS dot com

Late afternoon session: HUMANS IN SPACE
15.40 A Multi-Agent AI Governance System for Behavioural Health (MAGSBH) Model for Space Exploration. Dame Commander Dr Susan Jewell. (Zoom).

Register for the conference at: https://lnkd.in/gv-5FZs8

ASGRS SPACE ART COMPETITION. CAL FOR SUBMISSION!!
🚀🎨 Calling All Artists, Space Enthusiasts, and Visionaries!
The American Society for Gravitational Research and Sciences, ASGSR, 2025 Space Art Competition is officially open for submissions, and this year, MMAARS is proud to sponsor five (5) Virtual Level 1 Analog Astronautics Training Awards for outstanding student artists! 🌟
Submit your artwork, and you could win a place in one of the world’s leading analog astronautics training programs through MMAARS (Mars-Moon Astronautics Academy & Research Science) and prizes from ASGRS.
Visit: https://asgsr.org/asgsr-2025-art-contest-call-for-submissions/
🌐 www.MMAARS.com
🔗 Competition Details & Submission Link:
https://lnkd.in/gyjW8qeg

🌌 Why Enter the ASGSR Space Art Competition?
✨ Explore the theme “Exploration. Enabling Science.” through your creative vision
✨ Showcase your work to the global scientific and space research community
✨ Celebrate the connection between art, science, and human exploration
✨ Become eligible for one of five MMAARS Virtual Analog Astronautics Training Awards!

🚀 About the MMAARS Awards
Five selected artists will receive:
🏅 Full sponsorship to the MMAARS Virtual Level 1 Analog Astronautics Training Program
🌍 Training with international virtual analog astronaut crews
🔬 Exposure to frontier technologies, biotech, AI, and space medicine
🎓 A transformative introduction to the future of human space exploration
🌟 Let Your Creativity Take Flight
Whether you paint galaxies, sculpt future habitats, animate cosmic journeys, or imagine the psychology of explorers, this is your moment. Share how exploration enables science, and how your art can inspire the next era of space discovery.
🔗 Submit now: [email protected]
DEADLINE: 25th November, 2025 ( EXTENDED)

🌐 Learn more about MMAARS: www.MMAARS.com

Join the CEO/Co-founder of!MMAARS, Dame Commander Dr Susan Ip-Jewell, MD, DCEG, DOD, and leaders in Space exploration, Space medicine, health, and human spaceflight, and various space STEAM fields at the virtual LIVING IN SPACE conference tomorrow, 13th November. Watch LIVE on YouTube. My topic will be on "Integrated Space Health and Medicine for Living in Space." The workshop will take place on 13 November 2025, from 17:00 CET = 11:00 am USET to 21:00 CET = 15:00 USET
The workshop will be fully livestreamed, and this is the link to attend: https://lnkd.in/gM2dNTbN
The participation is totally free. Ad Astra!

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CONGRATULATIONS!! It's super impressive to announce that VASTX (in partnership with MMAARS) and our fantastic team of research scientists, space medicine experts, and my co-founder/CEO, Dr. Raj Badhan, PhD, along with our MMAARS analog astronauts, my co-founders Dame Emmy Jewell, MSc, PhDc, DEG, and Nicholas Ip-Jewell KEG. Our company, VASTX (Virtual Astronaut Simulator for Therapeutics and Exploration), is a winner of this year's Humans in Space HIS 2025 competition in the AI Innovation Equity track. We are excited that MMAARS has formed a long-term partnership with VASTX to help pioneer space pharmacokinetics and precision drug dosing for astronauts using AI-driven digital twin technologies. We will be testing the platform in MMAARS' high-fidelity analog astronautics missions in 2026, which will include the inaugural first series of analog aquanautics missions, as well as extreme fidelity missions to Nepal and the first complete analog astronaut simulation mission to Everest Base Camp, including testing in parabolic flights. Amazing and exciting times. VASTX really expresses why we do what we are passionate about. Our MTP (Massively Transformative Purpose) is our "North Star" to drive innovations with huge social impact, advancing global healthcare access and improving quality of life for all, especially underrepresented and underserved communities, and promoting DEIA by using Space to evolve Humanity 2.0 for a new era and a better way of living. Congratulations to Team VASTX. The future looks brighter! I am so proud and honored to be part of this vision and mission! Moving Forward, Onwards and Upwards. Ad Astra! Website: VASTX dot com

PRESS RELEASE: 10.23.25. CONGRATULATIONS!!! We are very proud announcement that our pioneering Analog Astronautics Training Organization Mmaars (MARS-MOON ASTRONAUTICS ACADEMY AND RESEARCH SCIENCES), formed in 2012 (formerly Mars Academy USA), has been selected as a finalist team for the prestigious SIR ARTHUR CLARKE AWARD under the British Interplanetary Society, BIS. "Dear Dame Commander Susan Jewell and the Mars-Moon Astronautics Academy and Research Sciences (MMAARS) Team, we received 40 nominations and 50 judges"...It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the MMAARS Team has been selected as one of three finalists for the 2025 EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TEAM AWARD “for Expanding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), Global Outreach and Education in STEAM - Space via MMAARS Virtual Astronautics and In-Person Training Programs.“
As a finalist, the MMAARS Team is invited to attend the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) "Reinventing Space Conference" Dinner and Awards Ceremony at the Royal Aeronautical Society, 4 Hamilton Place, London, W1J 7BQ on Tuesday 28 October 2025 at 18:00 GMT, when the winner of each Award will be announced. I am so incredibly proud of the co-founders, Emmy Jewell, MSC, PhDc, and Nicholas Ip-Jewell, as well as the team supporters over the years, who have believed in the vision and mission of MMAARS. Learn more about us and our upcoming analog astronaut missions. VISIT: www dot MMAARS dot com

The Future of Space OMICS, Space Pharmacology, and Analog Astronautics Is Now! 🧬
So very proud to share the evolution of MMAARS “SPACE MEDICS” Training Program, a multidisciplinary initiative preparing analog astronauts for the demands of human spaceflight and space settlement. Since 2014, Mars-Moon Astronautics Academy & Research Sciences (MMAARS) has deployed analog teams across high-fidelity environments to advance research in space medicine, psychiatry, pharmacology, human factors, and multi-OMICS therapeutics.
Missions deployed to date: 🌵 Mojave Desert, California, MMAARS Basecamp (2014–present):
Our foundational missions simulate austere planetary terrain, where Space Medics are trained in telemedicine, remote surgery, tele-robotics, AR/XR diagnostics, and behavioral health protocols.
🏔️ Nepal Himalayas (2019):
Our inaugural high-altitude analog mission, conducted at 10,000 and 15,000 feet tested hypoxia countermeasures and AI-augmented mental health support in I.C.E.
🌊 Underwater Analog Aquanaut Missions (2026–2027):
Upcoming missions in confined, pressurized aquatic habitats will simulate microgravity, explore underwater triage, and assess cognitive performance in saturation conditions.
🧗‍♂️ Everest Base Camp Mission (2026–2027):
Pioneering the first and highest altitude mission to date, and training advanced Space Medics at extreme elevations.
🧠 Presented “Biopsychosocial, Genetic, and Epigenetic Impacts of Extreme Environments in Analog Astronauts: Advancing the ISPS-VETA Paradigm” at AIAA-ASCEND 2025, Las Vegas. (Integrated Space Psychiatry System – Virtual Embodiment Tele-Psychologist-Psychiatrist AI Avatar).
📄 Article published by AIAA:
https://lnkd.in/gQf3GjHC
📍 Presenting at IAC 2025, Sydney https://www.iac2025.org
🌟 MMAARS Space Medics Analog Astronauts
Special shout-out to pioneering "Space Medics" Analog Astronauts shaping the field in space health:
• Dr. Susan Jewell, MD, DCEG – Space Medicine, OMICS
• Dr. Jesus Guerra, MD, MSc – Aerospace Medicine
• Dr. Maria Harney, MD, MAc, DEG – Space Psychiatry
• Emmy Jewell, MSc, PhDc, DEG – Aviation & Human Factors
• Dr. Tamara Pack, PhD, MD, DEG – Space Psychology
• Dr. Raj Badham, PhD – Space Pharmacology, PBPK Modeling
• Dr. Jeremy Saget, MD – Space Medicine, Flight Surgeon, ZERO-G Trainer
📢 Currently recruiting: MMAARS Analog Aquanauts (2026–2027)
Join MMAARS elite advanced SPACE MEDICS missions and train alongside medically-trained analog astronauts.
✅ Requirements:
- Medical certification (MD, RN, EMT, etc.)
- Active SCUBA certification
- PRIOR Analog Astronaut training (include program, date, location)
📩 DM here with CV and training.
🌐 www.MMAARS.com

PRESS RELEASE: We are excited to announce our partnership with the Cosmic Girls Foundation and offering scholarships for young girls the opportunity to train as Virtual Analog Astronauts and learn about Space exploration and frontier technologies. Ad Astra!

You still have time to register for Mmaars virtual academy analog astronautics training program!

Get ready to launch into the next phase of your space journey! Through this special partnership between MMAARS and the Cosmic Girls Foundation, we are thrilled to offer YOU access to our internationally recognized MMAARS VIRTUAL LEVEL 1 ANALOG ASTRONAUTICS TRAINING PROGRAM. This is more than just a program—it’s an immersive, interactive experience where you’ll train like an analog astronaut, simulate space missions, and join a global community of explorers passionate about building the future of space.

For a limited time, this opportunity is open EXCLUSIVELY TO COSMIC GIRLS aged 14 -19 for FREE under a special MMAARs scholarship. You’ll train alongside participants of different ages, from high school students to career professionals. Every crew brings diverse perspectives and skills, precisely what we need for real-world missions. Don’t be intimidated- be inspired! Your curiosity, creativity, and unique voice matter in space exploration!

https://www.mmaars.com/academy