Human Factors Challenges in Space-Based Human-Machine Teams

Abstract

Future missions to the International Space Station, the Moon, and Mars will require teams to live and work in extreme environments, facing heavy workload, isolation, uncertainty, communication delays, and limited ground support. These conditions degrade sensing, perception, decision-making, and action. As machines are increasingly integrated into such missions, human-machine teams must adapt to maintain safety and performance under extreme conditions. This systematic review examines the state of research on human-machine teaming in space. Three databases—Engineering Village, IEEE Xplore, and Web of Science—were searched. Eight peer-reviewed articles met all inclusion criteria. They examined trust, explainability, performance, and communication. The key outcomes emphasize communication challenges, exacerbated by non-resilient teams. Trust and performance perceptions differ between novices in simulations and experts in operational settings. It is essential to calibrate trust in machine teammates, design workload-sensitive and context-aware transparency mechanisms, and develop communication protocols that support resilient human-machine team performance in space.