PM01 in Space: How EngineAI Plans to Turn a Humanoid Robot Into an Astronaut

A silver humanoid releases its feet from the cabin floor, reaches for a handrail and looks through a window at the curve of Earth. It sounds like science fiction, but two Chinese companies want to make a version of this scene real within a few years. Humanoid robot manufacturer EngineAI and commercial spaceflight company Interstellor plan to take the compact PM01 on a suborbital flight. The target currently associated with the program is 2028.

The story is spectacular, but it requires careful language. PM01 is a real, commercially available development platform with impressive mobility. It is not yet a space-qualified system and has not flown in space. The widely repeated label “world’s first robot astronaut” also overstates the historical claim. NASA sent Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space, to the International Space Station in 2011. That does not make EngineAI’s project less interesting. It changes the key question: can a modern, fully embodied and programmable humanoid become an active participant in a commercial human-spaceflight mission?

Key points

EngineAI and Interstellor announced a joint humanoid robot astronaut exploration program in 2026.
PM01 is expected to be among the first passengers of Interstellor’s reusable CYZ1 suborbital spacecraft.
Interstellor is targeting an initial suborbital flight around 2028, but no binding launch date has been published.
PM01 is already available as an open research and development platform, while public proof of full space qualification is still missing.
The robot is about 1.4 meters tall, weighs roughly 42 to 43 kilograms depending on the version, and offers 23 or 24 degrees of freedom.
Launch vibration, microgravity, vacuum, thermal control, radiation, battery safety and fail-safe autonomy all remain major hurdles.
NASA’s Robonaut 2 already holds the title of first humanoid robot in space. PM01 could still become a new kind of full-body commercial robot passenger.

From a development lab to a spacecraft cabin

EngineAI introduced PM01 at the end of 2024 as a lightweight, highly dynamic and broadly open platform for embodied intelligence. The Shenzhen company does not present it as a finished household appliance. It is a programmable body for research, education, demonstrations and emerging commercial applications. That openness is precisely what makes it relevant to a spaceflight experiment: sensing, computing and motion software can be adapted without redesigning the entire machine.

In January 2026, EngineAI and Beijing Interstellor Human Spaceflight Technology announced their “Humanoid Robot Astronaut Exploration Program.” Interstellor is developing CYZ1, a reusable suborbital capsule designed for up to seven occupants. The company describes a total flight time of about 20 to 30 minutes and is aiming for a first suborbital flight around 2028. Chinese government and business reporting already lists PM01 as a special member of the planned first passenger group.

For now, this is a development objective rather than a completed mission. There is no exact launch date, and the companies have not published a complete space-qualification campaign for PM01. It is also unclear whether the robot would initially fly as a restrained technology payload or perform useful autonomous actions during weightlessness. That distinction between announced ambition and demonstrated capability is central to judging the project.

What PM01 can already do

The present platform offers several characteristics that make it attractive for a flight experiment. Current manufacturer specifications put its standing height at about 1.4 meters. The business edition weighs approximately 42 kilograms including its battery and provides 23 degrees of freedom. The education edition is listed at about 43 kilograms and 24 degrees of freedom. Five controlled axes in each arm, six in each leg and an unusually large waist range allow dynamic full-body motion.

EngineAI states that the hardware supports movement above two meters per second. Its larger proprietary joint motor is specified for a maximum torque of up to 145 newton meters. A 10,000 mAh quick-release battery provides close to two hours of operation. The education edition adds two depth cameras and an NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX module with 16 GB of memory. Hardware interfaces as well as training and deployment code allow developers to build their own applications.

On Earth, PM01 has attracted attention with a forward somersault, running, dance routines and a relatively natural gait. These demonstrations indicate capable actuators, fast control loops and strong balance control. They do not prove autonomous work in an unpredictable environment. As discussed in Alpha Bionic’s analysis of what humanoid robot videos really demonstrate, a successful showcase and repeatable, safety-critical operation are very different levels of maturity.

Why a front flip does not prove readiness for space

On Earth, a biped constantly keeps its center of mass above a support area. In microgravity that problem disappears and is replaced by another one. Without contact with the spacecraft, every motion of an arm or leg produces an opposing motion of the body. A strong reach can start a rotation, and a poorly planned push can send the robot away from its worksite. PM01’s advanced walking controller would offer little help. It would need handholds, foot restraints, tethers, attitude control and a motion policy specifically trained for weightlessness.

A crew capsule is also not a spacious robotics laboratory. People, cables, switches and emergency equipment share a compact volume. A 42-kilogram robot moving freely carries enough momentum to injure a crew member or damage equipment even at modest speed. Its software must therefore be more than intelligent: it must be demonstrably bounded and fault tolerant. A predictable safe state after a sensor failure, communication loss or computer reboot matters more than an athletic stunt.

Seven tests between PM01 and launch

1. Launch loads and vibration

Acceleration, broadband vibration and extreme acoustic loads act simultaneously on joints, connectors, sensors and battery packs during launch. A robot that works perfectly on a laboratory floor can develop loose connections or encoder errors under these conditions. PM01 would need structural load analysis, vibration testing and a certified restraint interface in the vehicle.

2. Microgravity and anchoring

Humans instinctively use hands, feet and straps in weightlessness. A robot must calculate those contacts. PM01 needs new motion primitives, contact planning and possibly specialized grippers or foot interfaces. Its human-like shape is useful because spacecraft cabins are designed around the human body, but legs are not automatically the optimal solution in zero gravity.

3. Vacuum and heat rejection

Inside a pressurized capsule, PM01 remains protected from vacuum. Any future external task would be far more demanding. Without air, electronics and motors cannot rely on convective cooling. Lubricants can outgas, polymers may degrade, and exposed surfaces experience large thermal swings. A brief cabin flight is therefore a realistic first step, while an extravehicular PM01 would effectively require a new space-rated version.

4. Radiation and computing

High-performance computers used in development robots are not automatically radiation tolerant. Energetic particles can cause memory corruption, computation errors or resets. Space systems respond with error correction, redundancy, watchdogs and extensive fault detection. A plausible PM01 architecture would combine a powerful AI computer for perception and planning with an independent, robust safety controller that enforces hard limits.

5. Battery and fire safety

A large lithium battery inside a crewed spacecraft faces strict certification requirements. Cell monitoring, containment, thermal protection and controlled shutdown are essential. The familiar battery-life challenge of humanoid robots matters less on a short suborbital mission. Safe integration of the energy storage system matters much more.

6. Autonomy without unsafe improvisation

EngineAI describes high-precision perception, millisecond motion response and autonomous decision algorithms as foundations of the program. In human spaceflight, however, a capable AI is not enough. Decisions must remain inside a verified operating envelope, actions must be logged, and both crew and ground control need a reliable override. The progress of Physical AI is relevant, but it must be paired with deterministic aerospace safety.

7. A task with measurable value

Crossing the Kármán line does not automatically make a machine an astronaut. The mission becomes technically persuasive if PM01 performs a defined task: inspecting a panel, identifying a floating object, reading an instrument, operating a protected switch or supporting a simulated emergency procedure. Success rate, task time and fault logs would provide more value than a promotional photograph above Earth.

Would PM01 really be the first robot astronaut?

Not in the literal historical sense. NASA launched Robonaut 2 on Space Shuttle Discovery’s STS-133 mission in February 2011. NASA explicitly identifies it as the first humanoid robot in space. R2 initially operated as a torso attached to a fixed support; it later received two climbing legs for movement inside the ISS.

Any PM01 record must therefore be phrased more narrowly. It might become the first complete bipedal commercial humanoid to fly as a passenger aboard a crewed suborbital spacecraft, or the first Chinese robot developed under an explicit humanoid astronaut program. Whether either description survives will depend on the final mission and on competing projects that may launch earlier.

This accuracy does not diminish the project. It reveals its real potential. Robonaut 2 was a specialized aerospace development. PM01 comes from a new generation of compact, open and relatively production-oriented humanoids. If such a platform can be adapted for flight without an entirely bespoke design, it could change the economics of space robotics.

Why a short suborbital flight would still matter

A suborbital flight provides only a few minutes of microgravity and falls far short of a long-duration station deployment. It can still generate valuable data. How does whole-body control behave without gravity? Can depth cameras handle difficult cabin lighting? Which motions trigger unexpected rotation? How do the battery and joints respond to launch and landing? Can the crew reliably secure the system after a fault?

The European Space Agency launched a 2026 initiative focused on embodied intelligence for autonomous space systems. Its central idea is that perception, decision-making, control and physical morphology must be designed together. PM01 could become a highly visible test case for that principle—not because its current body is already ideal for every space task, but because real flight exposes weaknesses that remain hidden in simulation.

From passenger to working robotic crew member

Simply carrying PM01 safely would already give EngineAI a powerful demonstration. The larger engineering leap comes afterwards. A working robot astronaut must use tools, anchor itself, cooperate with people and remain controllable after partial failures. External work would add vacuum-rated components, radiation protection, specialized thermal design and far more capable hands. Lunar or Martian deployment would also require dust protection, long communication delays and exceptional maintainability.

The road is therefore longer than the phrase “robot astronaut” suggests. PM01 nevertheless has an important advantage: it already exists. Researchers can buy the platform, program it and test it in increasingly demanding environments. That separates this effort from many purely conceptual space-robot designs.

Conclusion: not an astronaut yet, but a serious candidate

PM01 stands with one foot in a laboratory and the other in a story that reaches far beyond robotics. Its joints, sensors and open interfaces are real. EngineAI’s partnership with Interstellor and the goal of a suborbital flight around 2028 are public. A completed space qualification, binding launch date and precise mission task are not.

That uncertainty is exactly why the project deserves attention. It shows how quickly humanoid robotics is moving from exhibition stages toward extreme applications, while also revealing the distance between an agile demonstration and a safety-critical aerospace system. If PM01 launches and completes a useful autonomous action in microgravity, it will not be the first humanoid in space. It could nevertheless represent the beginning of a new class: production-oriented, programmable, physically intelligent and designed not merely as cargo, but as an active part of the mission.

Frequently asked questions

Has PM01 already been in space?

No. As of August 13, 2026, there is no documented PM01 spaceflight. EngineAI and Interstellor are preparing for a future suborbital mission.

When is PM01 expected to launch?

Interstellor is targeting the first suborbital flight of CYZ1 around 2028. No binding date or final mission manifest has been made public.

What can PM01 do today?

PM01 can walk and run dynamically, perform complex full-body motion and serve as an open platform for custom sensing and software. Depending on the edition, it has 23 or 24 degrees of freedom and close to two hours of battery operation.

Was PM01 the first humanoid to perform a front flip?

EngineAI markets PM01 as the first humanoid robot to execute a forward somersault. The feat demonstrates dynamic motion control, but it is not evidence of space readiness.

Which humanoid robot reached space first?

NASA’s Robonaut 2 reached the International Space Station in 2011 and is recognized by NASA as the first humanoid robot in space.

Sources and further reading

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Nico Nuss

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Author Nico Nuss has been working on mobile computing and automation software since 2001. Drawing on his experience and strong interest in future technologies, he focuses on robotics and AI.