Hacking satellites to fix our oceans and shoot for the stars

By Preesha Kumar

From memory foam mattresses to the camera and GPS navigation on our phones, technology that was developed for space applications enhances our everyday lives on Earth. In fact, Chris Langenderfer believes space technology could solve many of the problems we haven’t been able to crack. 

Though he was always fascinated with space, Langenderfer never considered it a career path until he came to Arizona State University as a student in Barrett, The Honors College. Now he is leveraging space technology to address problems here on Earth caused by ocean warming.

Originally a computer science student, Langenderfer wanted to incorporate more creative thinking and interpersonal interaction skills into his studies. He switched his major after attending SpaceVision — the largest student-run space conference in the U.S. — which was hosted by ASU his freshman year. There, he got face time with space experts, doctoral students and even Edward Gibson, a former astronaut who worked on America’s first space station, Skylab. 

“What sold me on the space industry is that students have access to experts,” Langenderfer said. “I just loved hearing from Edward Gibson on how he saw the space industry developments that happened over his lifetime.”  

Now Langerderfer is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in technological leadership, a degree offered by ASU’s Interplanetary Initiative. The program prepares students to unravel challenging questions through an interdisciplinary lens. Students equip themselves for the next generation of space exploration by taking collaboration and problem-solving out of the classroom and applying it to projects and research. Along with standard science, computing and general education courses, students take interplanetary inquiry courses that teach them how to make progress on large, unsolved problems in space exploration and society overall.

“This is more like a visionary degree where you can look at how we get to Mars and break it down. How do we research big questions rather than take incremental steps?“ Langenderfer explained.

After analyzing forest fire satellite maps in an interplanetary inquiry course, Langerderfer signed up to compete in ASU’s annual SpaceHACK for Sustainability. 

SpaceHACK for Sustainability is a 24-hour competition leveraging satellite data and government resources to address environmental issues in line with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. It is led by ASU in collaboration with Georgia Institute of Technology, CY Cergy Paris Université and Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) in Ecuador. For the 2024 hackathon, these problems included warming oceans, complexities of water usage in Arizona, and the impact of telecommunications infrastructure on urban and rural communities. 

The event is hosted by Eric Stribling, assistant teaching professor in the Interplanetary Initiative. Stribling offered extra credit to Langenderfer’s class to sign up for ASU’s SpaceHACK competition, held at Hayden Library for the past several years. 

“Chris is a student that I have had the pleasure of teaching in several classes,” Stribling said. “I offered extra credit to participate in the hackathon for his class. I was looking for a way to get more students involved. It's one of the most significant ways that space technologies can be leveraged for community impact.”

On short notice, Langenderfer scrambled together his dream team: a geographic information systems graduate student, a sustainability major with an interest in marine biology, a political science student and a mechanical engineering undergrad. Langenderfer said his team's diverse backgrounds helped them form a unique solution. 

During the 24 hours of the competition, Langenderfer and his team first interviewed experts from the various schools that participated. While interviewing an expert from ESPOL, one idea piqued the team’s interest — using satellite data to observe algae blooms from farming runoff in Ecuador. They created satellite maps to support their concept.    

“Our maps showed satellite hot spots where you can track ocean algae, since certain bands reflect off chlorophyll, which they already use for all kinds of vegetation and tree monitoring,” Langenderfer said.

But at the very last minute, they lost the maps. Langenderfer didn’t think his team was going to make it.

With no data to bolster their concept and the clock running out of time, Langenderfer’s team pieced together a presentation with existing images and hoped their idea would hold up. Once time was up, most of his team left, but Langenderfer felt he should stay to congratulate the winning team on their success. When he heard his own team’s name called, he was caught off guard.

“It was completely unexpected. But in hindsight, I look at our project and it was really well done,” Langenderfer said.

The algae bloom project didn’t end at the SpaceHACK; it is now the foundation for Langenderfer’s honors thesis. The project is an extension of his lifelong love of the outdoors. 

Growing up with three brothers, he was always active. He developed a passion for ocean health and climate change awareness while part of ASU’s scuba diving club. In some ways, he says this influenced him to do his honors thesis on his winning SpaceHACK idea. 

“I love the ocean; I love coral. I grew up scuba diving. I think ocean health is an incredibly important part of climate change. I would love to see the ocean be conserved, preserved and recovered,” Langenderfer said.

After the SpaceHACK, ESPOL contacted ASU and discussed his team’s solution. Langenderfer took this opportunity as a sign that he had found his honors thesis idea. He contacted ESPOL again and worked with his advisor, Stribling, to expand upon the idea and get his project off the ground. 

“I was actually quite surprised at how much work he and the team that he organized put into the hackathon. They put together an amazing project in less than 24 hours, winning first place. He then approached me, asking if he could further develop his project in the form of a Barrett Honors thesis, and I agreed to be his advisor,” Stribling said.

Langenderfer is traveling to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands to complete his thesis using satellite data to track harmful algae blooms on the Central American coast. His focus is on the city of Guayaquil, one of the largest producers of shrimp in the world. As one of the biggest industrial cities in Ecuador, it struggles with waste management and runoff.

“I want to use a more holistic approach to demonstrate the potential uses and power of satellite data,” Langenderfer said.

Langenderfer plans to graduate in 2025 and will defend his honors thesis next spring. In the future, he would like to pursue a master’s degree in systems engineering or human systems engineering while continuing his research. One day, he hopes to launch a satellite of his own into space.