Craig Hardgrove's research focuses on thermal infrared and nuclear remote sensing of the moon and Mars.

He is the principal investigator of the LunaH-Map mission, the first planetary science mission designed, built and operated by ASU. The LunaH-Map CubeSat mission will orbit the moon to map hydrogen-rich deposits in permanently shadowed regions. Hardgrove has experience working on many Mars rover and orbiter missions and is a collaborator on the Mars Science Laboratory rover's DAN instrument. He is working to develop next-generation neutron and gamma ray detectors, specifically on small spacecraft like CubeSats. His research specialties include remote sensing of terrestrial and other planetary surfaces, spacecraft instrument development, Mars surface geology and improving planetary rover software by incorporating thermal infrared imaging and machine learning. His organization, Astrum Terra, aims to bring real science data from planetary spacecraft to the video game industry.