Engine AI wants to send a humanoid robot to space

Sending robots to space sounds like vintage sci-fi, but a Chinese robotics company is actively working to make it a reality.

Shenzhen-based Engine AI announced a partnership with commercial aerospace firm Interstellor to kick off the Humanoid Robot Astronaut Exploration Program. The goal is straightforward: modify its PM01 humanoid robot and launch it into orbit as the world’s first robot astronaut.

Engine AI previously made headlines last year by claiming the PM01 was the first humanoid robot to pull off a front flip. Now, it is moving from gym mats to the harsh vacuum of low Earth orbit.

Surviving the cosmic grind

Space exploration is a brutal proving ground for electronics and mechanics alike. Unlike a climate-controlled robotics lab, orbital missions mean facing hard vacuum, microgravity, wild temperature swings, and intense radiation.

Engine AI noted that space missions push hardware far beyond standard operating boundaries. The partnership with Interstellor will focus on redesigning the PM01's environmental resilience and autonomous decision-making.

The ultimate goal is using the robot for high-risk orbital chores: repairing the exterior of space stations, inspecting hazardous modules, and conducting long-term monitoring. Basically, sending a machine out the airlock so human astronauts do not have to risk their lives.

Compact hardware with real-world roots

Despite the massive ambition, the PM01 itself is surprisingly compact.

Standing 1.38 meters tall and weighing roughly 40 kilograms, it is 27 centimeters shorter and 8 kilograms lighter than Engine AI's full-sized flagship, the SE01. It features an aluminum-alloy exoskeleton and a unique bionic waist that can rotate up to 320 degrees.

Inside, the robot relies on an Intel RealSense depth camera for 3D vision, backed by a dual-chip computing setup combining an NVIDIA Jetson Orin module with an Intel N97 CPU to handle real-time perception and balance.

Interestingly, Engine AI is not starting from scratch in a secret government hangar. In June last year, the company launched an open-platform commercial version dubbed PM01 JD Joy Inside on JD.com for about $27,000, tailored for university researchers and developers.

Meanwhile, partner firm Interstellor revealed its commercial spaceflight roadmap on January 22. It aims to launch its CYZ1 craft as early as 2028 for suborbital tourism at 100 kilometers altitude, followed by the orbital CYZ2 craft around 2032 to reach a 400-kilometer orbit.

Why it matters

Humanoid robots have spent years showing off parkour and sorting colored blocks in warehouses. While fun to watch, real-world return on investment on factory floors has remained elusive.

Space is one of the few arenas where the humanoid form factor makes genuine economic sense. Spacewalks are astronomically expensive and dangerous for human crews, yet the tools, airlocks, and hatches on orbit were all designed around human hands and proportions.

We think Engine AI is making a clever branding and engineering move here. Pushing a lightweight platform to survive extreme aerospace conditions will force massive breakthroughs in hardware hardening and edge compute reliability that standard consumer testing never demands.

That said, skepticism is warranted. Earth-grade chips like the Jetson Orin are notorious for glitching under heavy cosmic radiation, and space-qualifying mechanical actuators is a notoriously slow, multi-year process. With Interstellor's flight schedule pegged for 2028 and beyond, the PM01 has a long checklist of physics hurdles to clear before earning its astronaut wings.