NASA Competition Invites Students to Help Imagine a Future Enabled by Lunar Technologies

NASA is seeking innovative ideas from U.S.-based college teams for its 2027 student challenge, RASC-AL, aimed at envisioning a future on the Moon shaped by new technologies. The competition, organized by NASA's Langley Research Center, invites teams to explore new operations paradigms and advance technologies for sustained operations in the lunar South Pole region.

The themes for this year's competition include prospecting in permanently shadowed lunar craters, developing critical infrastructure, and creating resilient habitats. NASA's RASC-AL competition connects top university researchers with the agency's technology and engineering challenges, accelerating the technological advancements needed for lunar exploration.

Student teams have until Oct. 13 to submit a non-binding notice of intent and Oct. 27 for a Q&A session with NASA experts. Proposals, including video submissions, are due Feb. 24, 2027. The selected teams, up to 14, will receive a $7,500 award and advance to the final phase, which involves further concept development, a technical paper, and a technical poster.

The finalists will present their concepts at the 2027 RASC-AL Forum in Cocoa Beach, Florida, from June 7 to 10, 2027. The top two teams will receive additional monetary awards and invitations to present at an aerospace conference later in 2027.