Call for Abstracts
The Organizing Committee of the 2nd International Workshop on Space Geotechnics, Regolith, and Granular Materials (IWSGRGM 2027) invites researchers, engineers, industry professionals, space-agency representatives, and students to submit a two-page extended abstract for presentation at the workshop.
IWSGRGM 2027 will provide an international forum for sharing new research, engineering developments, mission-relevant technologies, and practical experience related to space geotechnics, regolith, granular materials, lunar infrastructure, and resource utilization.
Important Submission Dates
- Call for Abstracts Opens: August 21, 2026
- Abstract Submission Deadline: October 15, 2026
- Acceptance Notifications: December 15, 2026
- Presenter Registration Deadline: March 1, 2027
- Conference Technical Program: April 19–22, 2027
- Planned Technical Visit to NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: April 23, 2027
Technical Areas
Abstracts are invited in the following six technical areas:
1. Site Characterization, Prospecting, and Sensing
Understanding the subsurface is fundamental to future lunar and planetary operations. This area focuses on methods for characterizing regolith properties, mapping subsurface conditions, identifying resources and hazards, and reducing uncertainty before exploration, construction, and in situ resource utilization activities.
2. Excavation, Mobility, and Regolith Operations
Planetary surface operations require reliable interaction with highly variable and incompletely characterized granular materials. This area examines excavation, grading, material transport, rover mobility, trafficability, dust mitigation, and other operational activities involving the handling and movement of regolith.
3. Space Geotechnical Engineering: Design, Analysis, and Construction
This area focuses on applying and extending geotechnical engineering principles for infrastructure in extraterrestrial environments. Particular emphasis will be placed on how reduced gravity, vacuum, thermal cycling, radiation exposure, and unique regolith properties influence engineering analysis, design methods, construction processes, and system performance.
4. Lunar Infrastructure: Monitoring, Maintenance, and Long-Term Performance
Future lunar settlements will require infrastructure capable of operating reliably through prolonged environmental exposure and repeated mission activities. This area addresses infrastructure resilience, structural and geotechnical health monitoring, inspection, maintenance, repair, adaptive operations, and the long-term performance of foundations, landing areas, roads, berms, shelters, and other surface systems.
5. In Situ Resource Recovery and Utilization
Sustained exploration will depend on using locally available resources to reduce reliance on Earth-based supply chains. This area focuses on resource prospecting, excavation, extraction, processing, manufacturing, and utilization, including the integration of ISRU systems with infrastructure development and the economic and operational considerations governing their deployment.
6. Cross-Cutting Challenges, Standards, Education, and Workforce Development
Advancing space geotechnics requires collaboration across disciplines and the development of shared terminology, test methods, engineering standards, educational pathways, and workforce capabilities. This area will bring together researchers, educators, students, agencies, and industry representatives to identify community needs, strengthen interdisciplinary partnerships, and establish priorities for future research and implementation.
Interdisciplinary submissions addressing more than one technical area are encouraged. Authors will be asked to identify the technical area that most closely aligns with their submission.
Abstract Requirements
Submissions must be prepared as a two-page extended abstract and should clearly communicate the purpose, approach, principal findings or anticipated contributions, and significance of the work. Abstracts must be written in English and prepared using the official IWSGRGM 2027 template: [DOWNLOAD THE WORD TEMPLATE]
Please review and follow all instructions provided in the template before submitting your abstract. Submissions that do not follow the required format may be returned to the authors for correction.
Abstract Submission
Abstracts must be submitted electronically through the conference submission platform.
The submission deadline is October 15, 2026.
Review and Acceptance
Submitted abstracts will be reviewed by members of the International Scientific and Technical Committee. Evaluation will consider:
- Relevance to the workshop scope and technical areas
- Technical quality and originality
- Clarity of the objectives and approach
- Significance to space geotechnics, lunar exploration, infrastructure development, or resource utilization
- Potential value to the workshop audience
Acceptance notifications will be sent by December 15, 2026.
Presentation Format
During submission, authors will be asked to indicate their preferred presentation format:
- Oral presentation
- Poster presentation
- Either oral or poster presentation
The Organizing Committee will make the final presentation assignment based on the abstract review, technical-program balance, available program capacity, and the total number of accepted submissions. While author preferences will be considered, a preferred presentation format cannot be guaranteed.
Depending on the number of accepted abstracts and the final program structure, selected poster presenters may also be invited to give a brief lightning talk introducing their work. Additional presentation instructions will be provided with the acceptance notification.
Presenter Registration
At least one author of each accepted abstract must register for the workshop and present the work in person. Presenting authors must complete registration by March 1, 2027, for the abstract to remain in the final technical program.
Publication Opportunities
Information regarding the publication of accepted abstracts in the workshop proceedings will be provided as arrangements are finalized.
Authors will also have an opportunity to prepare full-length manuscripts for consideration in a tentative special issue of the ASCE Journal of Aerospace Engineering. During abstract submission, authors will be asked to indicate whether they are interested in submitting a manuscript to the special issue.
Indicating interest is nonbinding and does not guarantee acceptance for publication. Full-length manuscripts will require a separate journal submission and will undergo the journal’s standard independent peer-review process. Manuscript requirements, submission procedures, and deadlines will be announced separately.
Questions
For questions about abstract preparation, submission, or presentation requirements, please contact: [email protected]
