NASA launches $1 million Moon Base Student Challenge for U.S. high school and college teams
On Nov. 8, 2026, NASA opened a $1 million competition called the Moon Base Student Challenge. The contest invites student teams from U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools to submit design ideas for a planned human habitat near the lunar South Pole. NASA aims to build a base where astronauts will live and work, paving the way for later crewed missions to Mars. Participants can submit designs across six areas: power generation and storage, construction, life-support systems, surface mobility, communications networks, and astronaut safety. Student teams do not need prior specialized engineering experience to enter. Instead, deliverables focus on standard workplace skills like concept proposals, trade studies, and briefings. For students interested in space careers, the competition offers a direct way to work on real space exploration problems. Teams must register through the NASA STEM Gateway by Jan. 25, 2027.
What was announced
NASA announced the $1 million Moon Base Student Challenge during an event at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The multiphase contest is open to student teams at U.S. high schools and post-secondary institutions, including vocational and technical tracks.
Teams will submit work in six categories:
- Power generation and storage
- Construction
- Life-support systems
- Surface mobility
- Communications networks
- Astronaut safety
Registration takes place through the NASA STEM Gateway and remains open until Jan. 25, 2027. The Office of STEM Engagement developed the program with the Moon Base Program. A third party, the Institute of Competition Sciences, administers the contest through a contract with NASA's Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation.
What it means
NASA is planning a permanent human presence at the lunar South Pole. That habitat will serve as a starting point for future crewed trips to Mars. To help prepare, the agency wants fresh ideas from outside its existing network of experts.
The challenge lets students practice aerospace industry skills without needing prior specialized engineering training. Deliverables include trade studies, which are evaluations comparing different design options, along with concept proposals and stakeholder briefings. By opening the challenge to high school, vocational, and college students, NASA is trying to build technical skills for the future space workforce.
What the announcement does not tell us
The announcement does not state how the $1 million in prize money will be split among winning teams or how many teams will win. It does not provide specific start or end dates for the challenge phases after registration closes on Jan. 25, 2027.
NASA also does not mention when construction on the actual lunar South Pole base will begin or how much the full base project will cost. Finally, the release leaves out details about how student designs will be evaluated or whether NASA plans to use winning proposals directly in lunar mission hardware.
How this was written
This analysis was written with AI from the official announcement below, using only facts that announcement states. The quoted wording is NASA News Releases’s own. Always check the original before acting on anything here.
On Sunday, NASA announced the opening of its $1 million Moon Base Student Challenge during a MAX POWER event at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. As part of a Golden Age of Science, the competition invites student teams at U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools to contribute designs for the Moon Base. “We’re […]
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