NASA says student teams at U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools can design solutions for its planned Moon Base across six categories, from power and construction to astronaut safety.
NASA announced on Sunday that its $1 million Moon Base Student Challenge is now open, unveiling it during the MAX POWER event at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The competition invites student teams at U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools to contribute designs for the Moon Base, which NASA says it is building so that astronauts can live, work and explore in the Moon's South Pole region.
Teams will propose solutions in six categories: power generation and storage, construction, life-support systems, surface mobility, communications networks and astronaut safety. NASA describes the challenge as multiphase, with deliverables that reflect industry skills such as trade studies, concept proposals and stakeholder briefings, and says participants do not need prior specialized engineering or technical experience. The Institute of Competition Sciences administers the challenge under a contract with NASA's Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation.
Participants must register through the NASA STEM Gateway, and registration is open until January 25, 2027. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said students do not have to wait until graduation to contribute and that curiosity and a willingness to tackle hard problems are the qualities the agency needs. NASA directs interested teams to its official rules for eligibility details; its announcement does not say how the $1 million will be divided.
