BRIDGEPORT — Visitors to the Sacred Heart University Discovery Science Center & Planetarium can “speak” with the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a pilot program called “Call a Satellite.”
The interactive space experience that allows visitors to ask questions about the ISS and receive conversational responses using live orbital data and voice AI.
The exhibit gives visitors a simple way to engage with space infrastructure in real time. Instead of only seeing information about the ISS on a screen, visitors can ask questions such as “Where are you right now?” “What are you flying over?” and “How fast are you moving?” The experience combines publicly available ISS orbital data with a conversational AI voice interface, allowing visitors to ask questions naturally and receive responses about the station’s current location, speed, altitude, and movement around Earth.
The experience was developed by Oasis Orbital, a space technology startup founded by Aditya Upadhyay, a Stony Brook University graduate.
It will open on June 22 and run for a limited pilot until July 9.
“Space infrastructure often feels distant and abstract,” Upadhyay said. “‘Call a Satellite’ is meant to make satellites feel more real and accessible by turning live orbital data into a conversation. When someone can ask the ISS where it is and receive an answer based on its actual position, space becomes something they can directly interact with.”
Before its installation at the Discovery Science Center & Planetarium, the pilot was tested in a classroom setting at Stony Brook University. Professor Phillip Baldwin observed that students engaged naturally with the system, using live orbital data to explore concepts such as satellite position, speed, and orbital movement in a more tangible way.
The current Discovery Science Center & Planetarium pilot is designed specifically around the ISS. The broader “Call a Satellite” platform is built to support additional satellites and orbital objects over time, with the goal of making complex space systems more understandable through interactive public education.
The exhibit reflects the Discovery Science Center’s mission to create engaging, hands-on science experiences for visitors. By combining live space data with conversational interaction, the pilot gives visitors a new way to explore Earth orbit and understand the technology moving above them every day.
Discovery is open to the public Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., with Mondays for members and private groups only.
For more information, visit shudiscovery.org, contact info@shudiscovery.org, and follow Discovery on social media @DiscoveryBPT.
