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NASA has opened a $1 million Moon Base Student Challenge for teams at U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools. Registration through NASA’s STEM Gateway is open until Jan. 25, 2027; teams will submit ideas in one of six areas tied to living and working on the lunar surface.
NASA has opened its $1 million Moon Base Student Challenge, inviting teams from U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools to develop design concepts for living and working on the Moon. Registration is open through Jan. 25, 2027, and the competition focuses on six technical areas relevant to a future lunar base.
The agency announced the challenge Sunday during a MAX POWER event at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Student teams will propose solutions in power generation and storage, construction, life-support systems, surface mobility, communications networks, and astronaut safety. NASA directs applicants to register through its STEM Gateway and consult the competition website for eligibility requirements and official rules.
NASA describes the challenge as a multiphase competition built around environmental and mission-design parameters for operations on the lunar surface. Deliverables are intended to include work such as trade studies, concept proposals, and stakeholder briefings. The agency says participants do not need prior specialized engineering or technical experience, and that students from technical, vocational, and other academic tracks can take part.
The competition was designed by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement in collaboration with the Moon Base Program. The Institute of Competition Sciences administers it under a contract with NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, which is part of the agency’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate.
Student Ideas for Lunar Operations
The challenge gives students a route to work on design problems connected to NASA’s stated plans for a Moon Base near the lunar South Pole, where the agency says astronauts are expected to live, work, and explore. The six categories cover basic needs and operational systems a sustained human presence would require, including power, life support, mobility, communications, and safety.
For participants, the stated aim is both educational and technical: NASA says the work can build career-relevant skills while producing concepts that could inform future technologies. The competition also broadens participation beyond students already specializing in aerospace engineering by allowing people from varied academic and vocational backgrounds to contribute. NASA has not said that student proposals will be adopted or directly used in the Moon Base design.
The agency frames a lasting human presence on the Moon as preparation for later crewed missions to Mars. That is NASA’s rationale for linking the student competition to a wider exploration program; the announcement does not provide a schedule for establishing the base or identify a specific mission that depends on competition results.
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How the Challenge Fits NASA’s Plans
NASA says its planned Moon Base would support astronauts at the lunar South Pole region. The student competition is one part of the agency’s effort to cultivate technical skills for the future aerospace workforce, rather than a standalone announcement of a completed base design or construction project.
The announcement places the competition within what NASA calls a Golden Age of Science and says the agency wants ideas from people with a range of backgrounds. Administrator Jared Isaacman said students can contribute before graduation, while Moon Base Program manager Carlos García-Galán said their perspectives could help the team consider what explorers might need to live and work on the Moon.
NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement and Moon Base Program developed the challenge together. The agency has set a registration deadline but, in the supplied announcement, does not list the later competition stages, judging dates, prize distribution, or a timeline for announcing winners.
Rules, Awards and Results Still Pending
The announcement confirms the $1 million challenge and the registration deadline, but it does not explain how the prize money will be divided, how many teams or students may receive awards, or what criteria judges will use to evaluate entries. Those details should be checked in the official competition rules before teams apply.
NASA also has not provided the full schedule for the competition’s phases, including submission deadlines after registration, judging, or winner announcements. The agency describes the work as contributing concepts for Moon Base technologies, but it has not said whether winning designs will be tested, funded for further development, or incorporated into NASA plans.
The announcement outlines NASA’s intention to build a base and describes its expected purpose, but it does not set out a construction start date or a timetable for a permanent human presence. Those broader plans should not be read as confirmed outcomes of this student challenge.
Registration Runs Through January 2027
Interested teams must register through the NASA STEM Gateway by Jan. 25, 2027. NASA directs applicants to moonbasechallenge.org for the complete competition details, eligibility requirements, and official rules. Teams will need to use those materials for information not included in the agency’s announcement, including the precise submission process and any phase-specific deadlines.
NASA has not named the next public milestone or given dates for judging and awards. Further competition updates, including the structure of later phases and how the $1 million will be awarded, remain to be announced in the information provided.
Key Questions
Who can enter the NASA Moon Base Student Challenge?
NASA says the challenge is open to student teams at U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools. The agency says prior specialized engineering or technical experience is not required; applicants should check the official rules for full eligibility details.
What can teams design?
Teams will develop solutions in one of six areas: power generation and storage, construction, life support, surface mobility, communications networks, and astronaut safety.
When is the registration deadline?
NASA says registration through its STEM Gateway is open until Jan. 25, 2027. The agency points applicants to moonbasechallenge.org for the official competition requirements.
How will the $1 million be distributed?
The NASA announcement identifies a $1 million challenge but does not specify how the money will be divided, how many awards will be given, or the judging criteria. Those details are not confirmed in the material provided.
Will NASA use the student designs to build its Moon Base?
NASA says the competition will help advance new concepts for Moon Base technologies, but the announcement does not promise that any proposal will be adopted, tested, or incorporated into the agency’s designs.
Source: nasa.gov
