NASA Opportunities

Artemis Student Challenges

The Artemis Student Challenges are authentic, hands-on learning experiences that give students in middle school all the way through graduate school a chance to flex their design and engineering skills. Each opportunity builds foundational knowledge and introduces students to topics and technologies critical to the success of NASA’s Artemis program. The Artemis Student Challenges include:

  • NASA App Development Challenge
  • Human Exploration Rover Challenge
  • Micro-g NExT
  • BIG Idea Challenge
  • First Nations Launch
  • NASA Spacesuit User Interface
  • Technologies for Students (SUITS)
  • Student Launch
  • Great Lunar Expedition for Everyone

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Human Exploration Rover Challenge

Are you curious about space exploration and have a passion for tackling hands-on engineering challenges? NASA is inviting student teams to design, build, and test a human-powered or remote-controlled rover for its Human Exploration Rover Challenge. Learn more at NASA’s Q&A and overview webinars on Aug. 21.

  • Eligibility: U.S. and international students, grades 6–12 up to college/university
  • Submission deadline: Monday, Sept. 15, 2025

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NASA's Student Launch Challenge

It actually IS rocket science! Student Launch is a 9-month engineering challenge for student teams to design, build, and launch a high-powered rocket with a science or engineering payload. The activity will culminate with selected teams launching their rockets from Huntsville, Alabama in August 2026. Participating students will also have the opportunity to talk with NASA experts and personnel from across the aerospace industry.

  • Eligibility: U.S. students, grades 6–12 up to college/university
  • Submission deadline: Monday, Sept. 22, 2025

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2026 High-Altitude Student Platform

Ever wanted to send your own experiment to the edge of space? Each year, NASA offers student teams from around the world the chance to fly their projects on a high-altitude research balloon as part of the High-Altitude Student Platform challenge. This program gives students access to near-space conditions—about 122,000 feet up—for flights lasting 15–20 hours. Launch and flight operations are fully covered, so teams only need to cover the cost to build their experiment as well as travel expenses.

  • Eligibility: U.S. community college students, universities worldwide
  • Notice of intent deadline: Monday, Oct. 6, 2025
  • Application deadline: Monday, Nov. 3, 2025

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2026 RASC-AL Competition

NASA’s Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Competition engages higher education students to develop bold and innovative ideas that can advance humanity’s ability to live and work beyond Earth. Teams and their faculty advisors are invited to propose new solutions to range of specific engineering themes and problems. Up to 14 teams may be selected to present their concepts at the 2026 RASC-AL Forum in Cocoa Beach, Florida and receive a monetary award in support of their concept.

  • Eligibility: U.S. undergrad and graduate students
  • Notice of Intent deadline: Monday, Oct. 13, 2025
  • Entry deadline: Monday, Feb. 23, 2026

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NASA TechRise Challenge

Are you ready to take your ideas to new heights? The NASA TechRise Student Challenge invites middle and high school students (grades 6–12) from across the U.S. and its territories to team up and design their own science or technology experiment for a suborbital flight vehicle. Sixty winning teams will each receive $1,500 in funding, a flight spot for their experiment, and expert guidance from Future Engineers advisors. With the support of an educator, you’ll gain hands-on experience in research, design, and innovation—while contributing to real-world space exploration.

  • Eligibility: U.S. and U.S. territories students, grades 6–12
  • Entry deadline: Monday, Nov. 3, 2025

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