Welcome to the MoonDAO Q1 Cohort mid-term progress report. Yesterday, we gathered all the project leads to provide the community with updates to showcase exactly what they've been building with MoonDAO funding.
From deploying an AI matchmaker bot for strategic networking to logistics for a high altitude balloon launch in the Maldives, our project leads are executing on some ambitious and awesome ideas.
Here is a quick look at what is moving forward this quarter:
- Citizens Space Policy Initiative: Soft launching an AI powered interactive survey to map global sentiment on space development.
- Open Pathways to Space: Awarding scholarships and running remote training for an upcoming analog astronaut mission in Brazil.
- Sustain MoonDAO Growth with Laika: Deploying a multilingual AI matchmaker bot in Discord to drive strategic community networking.
- LunARC's Governance Design Workshop: Finalizing program design for a three day space governance workshop at Universidad NUR in Bolivia.
- Astronaut Event with Voyaj: Securing a venue to connect astronaut Chris Sembroski with 200 first generation scholars in San Francisco.
- Lunar Development Cooperative Simulation: Finalizing the rulebook for a tabletop game modeling the political and economic incentives of a 2030 lunar economy.
- Maldives Space Research Balloons: Prepping hardware for ocean transport ahead of a high altitude balloon launch at the Space for Island Nations conference.
Read the summaries below or watch the full presentations to learn more about what we're building together across our global ecosystem.
Citizens Space Policy Initiative
The Citizens Space Policy Initiative has built a functional soft launch of their interactive survey platform. The tool currently utilizes an LLM to analyze simulated responses, allowing users to query anonymized data, summarize themes, and generate policy documents. The team expects their official nonprofit registration in Germany to be approved next week. Once the bureaucratic hurdles are cleared, the live site will be deployed for community participation.
Watch the update
Open Pathways to Space: Democratizing Space Analog Missions in Brazil's Semiarid
Habitat Marte is currently accepting applications to award three scholarships for an upcoming analog mission in Natal, Brazil in April. The team has established a comprehensive remote training program to prepare selected candidates on mission protocols, checklist management, and emergency health procedures prior to arrival. Applications remain open until the end of the day TODAY, requiring candidates to submit a brief video outlining their motivations and to secure their own funding for airfare.
Watch the update
Sustain MoonDAO Growth with Laika
The Laika AI matchmaker bot has completed its core development phase and integrated multilingual support for English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. The bot features an onboarding flow that captures member roles, interests, and event attendance, utilizing a weighted algorithm to pair users for strategic collaboration. Beta testing will commence next week with a select group of community members to identify and resolve any final technical issues. Following the testing phase, the team will finalize documentation and execute a technical handoff before releasing Laika to the wider Discord server.
Watch the update
LunARC's Governance Design Workshop at Universidad NUR Bolivia
LunARC has finalized its memorandum of understanding with Universidad NUR and confirmed the core facilitation team for the April 9 through 11 workshop in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Program design will reach 90 percent completion next week, allowing the team to shift focus toward regional media outreach, securing legal consent waivers, and coordinating a potential keynote address from the Bolivian Space Agency. Post event operations will include legal translations of the workshop outcomes and the creation of a replicable framework for future deployments.
Watch the update
Astronaut Event with Voyaj, MoonDAO, & College Track
Following a recent governance audit, the Voyaj project has officially secured funding and initiated planning for a San Francisco event connecting astronaut Chris Sembroski with over 200 first generation scholars. The team is in active negotiations with local schools and partners to ensure diverse student representation. Immediate next steps involve finalizing the venue and scheduling for a targeted Q2 execution. Concurrently, the project leads will develop the programming structure, coordinate with filmmakers, and launch an application process to select official ambassadors for the event.
Watch the update
Lunar Development Cooperative Simulation Tabletop Game
The Lunar Development Cooperative has finalized the first draft of the rulebook and mechanics for its tabletop simulation, alongside a dedicated facilitation guide. The game models a 2030 lunar economy where players act as nations or commercial entities to build infrastructure, prospect resources, and negotiate cross border agreements. The team also successfully secured an external grant to support ongoing development. Future work will focus on executing physical test rounds to refine dispute resolution mechanics and collective action scenarios, laying the groundwork for a comprehensive lunar governance framework.
Watch the update
Maldives Space Research Balloons
All required hardware for the Maldives space balloon operation has been procured and staged, including tracking devices, heat sealers, cutaway systems, and recovery parachutes. The launch schedule has been aligned with the upcoming Space for Island Nations conference to maximize regional impact. Due to air freight weight restrictions on the 150 pounds of equipment, the team is currently arranging ocean transport to the Maldives. The operation will culminate in April with on site hardware assembly, flight execution, and the publication of step by step procedures for emerging space nations.
Watch the update
Thanks again to all of our project leads for the work they are doing this quarter to democratize access to space. If you're interested in applying for our Season 2 cohort, and looking for seed funding for your idea, get ready because the deadline will be approaching in April.
Don't Miss Out
Next Thursday, March 12, MoonDAO is making a MAJOR announcement. You do not want to miss this milestone. RSVP now to secure your spot for the live reveal.
