HTC has announced the first wave of grants as part of its US$10 million ‘VR for Impact’ program, including a project that will let users visit space.

The initiative, announced in January, aims to support the creation of “VR content and technologies that will create positive impact and change” according to the company.

“We believe virtual reality and the immersive experiences it delivers have the potential to positively impact the biggest challenges that mankind faces,” said Rikard Steiber, President of Viveport, HTC Vive.

One of the grant recipients, ‘Space VR’, will see the world’s first VR satellite launched on Space X later this year, and will allow HTC Vive owners to view live 360-degree video from space.

Another project, called ‘Tree’, sees users immersed in deforestation from the perspective of a tree, while ‘The Extraordinary Honey Bee’ shrinks users to the size of a bee to better understand bee population declines.

Additional grants are set to be announced by HTC throughout the year. All projects will be available through HTC’s VR app store, Viveport, once completed.