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NASA has opened a $1 million student competition inviting teams at U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools to develop ideas for a future Moon Base. Proposals will address six areas, including power, life support and astronaut safety; registration is open through Jan. 25, 2027.
NASA has opened a $1 million Moon Base Student Challenge, inviting teams from U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools to design solutions for a planned human base near the Moon’s south pole. Announced Sunday at a MAX POWER event at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, the multiphase competition covers six areas of lunar operations, and registration is open through Jan. 25, 2027.
Teams are being asked to develop concepts in power generation and storage, construction, life-support systems, surface mobility, communications networks and astronaut safety. NASA says the challenge uses environmental and mission-design parameters related to living and working on the lunar surface. The agency describes the competition as a way for students to contribute ideas relevant to its Moon Base planning, not as a guarantee that a submitted design will be selected or built.
The challenge is structured in multiple phases. Its expected work includes trade studies, concept proposals and stakeholder briefings, according to NASA. Those deliverables are intended to reflect skills used in industry and to give participants experience relevant to possible aerospace careers. NASA says students from technical, vocational and other academic tracks can take part, and that prior specialized engineering or technical experience is not required.
Teams must register through the NASA STEM Gateway by Jan. 25, 2027. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement designed the challenge with the Moon Base Program. The Institute of Competition Sciences administers it under a contract with the NASA Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, which is part of the agency’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate. Full eligibility details and official rules are available through the competition website.
Student Ideas for Lunar Operations
The competition links student learning with NASA’s stated Moon Base planning. Its subject areas address practical needs for a crewed lunar outpost: generating and storing power, supporting life, moving across the surface, communicating and protecting astronauts. The work also gives students a structured way to engage with problems NASA says are connected to its future activities on the Moon.
For participants, the challenge may offer practice in developing proposals and explaining design choices to stakeholders. NASA says teams do not need specialized technical experience, broadening the intended pool beyond students already pursuing aerospace engineering. The agency presents the competition as part of its effort to develop skills for the future aerospace workforce; the announcement does not quantify how many students may participate or how winning teams will be rewarded.
NASA’s longer-term rationale is that a sustained human presence on the Moon could help prepare for later crewed missions to Mars. That is the agency’s stated programmatic goal, not an outcome established by this student competition. The immediate development is an invitation to submit concepts, with the potential for educational and design value rather than a confirmed change to Moon Base hardware or mission plans.
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NASA’s Planned Moon Base
NASA says it is working toward a Moon Base in the lunar South Pole region, where astronauts would live, work and explore. The agency describes a permanent human presence on the Moon as a step toward future crewed Mars missions. The announcement does not provide a construction schedule, a final base design or details on when astronauts would begin living there.
The student competition is one part of NASA’s broader STEM and workforce-development work. The agency’s Office of STEM Engagement developed it alongside the Moon Base Program, while the Institute of Competition Sciences will handle administration. The challenge’s required outputs are designed to resemble some forms of industry work, though NASA has not said that competition entries will be adopted into operational plans.
The announcement came during a MAX POWER event at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Moon Base Program manager Carlos García-Galán and Office of STEM Engagement Associate Administrator Elaine Ho described the competition as a way to draw on student creativity and perspectives. NASA’s release identifies the total value of the challenge as $1 million, but does not detail in the supplied announcement how that amount will be divided among teams or phases.
Awards and Selection Details
NASA’s announcement gives the competition’s total value as $1 million but does not specify how funds or awards will be allocated, how many teams will receive them, or the value of any individual award. The release also does not give phase-by-phase deadlines, judging criteria or a date for announcing results. Those details should be checked against the official rules as teams prepare to register.
It is also unclear whether NASA will test, further develop or incorporate any student proposals into Moon Base planning. The agency describes the challenge as an opportunity to contribute concepts, but does not promise that entries will be adopted. The timeline and design of the broader Moon Base project are not set out in this announcement.
Registration Through January 2027
Interested teams must register through the NASA STEM Gateway by Jan. 25, 2027. NASA directs prospective participants to moonbasechallenge.org for eligibility requirements, official rules and full competition details. Teams will need to consult those materials for submission instructions and any deadlines beyond the registration date.
After registration, the competition will proceed through multiple phases, according to NASA. The announcement does not provide a complete schedule for those stages or identify when winners will be named. Further information from NASA or the competition administrator is expected to clarify how teams will submit their work and how the $1 million will be awarded.
Key Questions
Who can enter the Moon Base Student Challenge?
Student teams at U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools are invited to participate. NASA says prior specialized engineering or technical experience is not required; teams should check the official rules for complete eligibility requirements.
What topics can teams work on?
NASA lists six areas: power generation and storage, construction, life support, surface mobility, communications networks and astronaut safety.
When is the registration deadline?
Registration through the NASA STEM Gateway is open until Jan. 25, 2027. NASA directs teams to the competition website for the rules and additional instructions.
How will the $1 million be distributed?
The announcement does not explain how the $1 million will be divided, how many teams may receive awards or the value of individual awards. Participants should consult the official competition rules for any published award details.
Will NASA use the student designs to build the Moon Base?
NASA says the challenge invites concepts addressing real lunar operating conditions, but it has not said that student designs will be adopted or built. The agency’s announcement does not describe a process for incorporating submissions into the base’s final design.
Source: nasa.gov
