Overview
- NASA has opened the Moon Base Student Challenge with a $1 million prize pool and registration available on the NASA STEM Gateway through January 25, 2027, with a first deliverable due February 22, 2027 and winners to be announced May 6, 2027.
- The competition asks student teams to propose practical solutions in six technical areas: power generation and storage, habitat construction and in‑situ materials use, life‑support systems, surface mobility, communications networks, and astronaut safety.
- Teams must include two to five students plus an adult mentor, compete in either a secondary or post‑secondary division, and be affiliated with U.S. educational organizations while full‑time international students at eligible U.S. schools may participate.
- NASA also opened applications for a new astronaut class limited to U.S. citizens with qualifications such as a STEM master’s (or equivalent), at least three years of relevant professional experience, and medical clearance, with the application window closing December 3, 2026 and final selections planned for late 2027.
- Agency officials frame both moves as concrete steps in Artemis-era plans to build a sustained lunar presence and to seed industry and academic talent for future crewed missions to Mars, a shift that could accelerate private‑sector contracts and expand the space-sector workforce.