AI-generated explanatory illustration of a lunar base concept, not an actual scene or an approved NASA design.
NASA announced the opening of its $1 million Moon Base Student Challenge on November 8 at a MAX POWER event at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. The multiphase competition invites teams at U.S. high schools and post-secondary schools to propose technologies and systems for a future lunar base.
The competition covers six areas: power generation and storage, construction, life-support systems, surface mobility, communications networks, and astronaut safety. Its official website describes the aim as developing innovations that improve the development, operation, and future capabilities of a long-term facility where astronauts would live and work.
NASA said the challenge uses authentic lunar environmental conditions and mission-design parameters. Team deliverables include trade studies, concept proposals, and stakeholder briefings. Prior specialized engineering or technical experience is not required, allowing students from technical, vocational, and other academic tracks to take part.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said students could contribute to the agency’s lunar plans before graduation, emphasizing creativity and teamwork. Carlos García-Galán, manager of the Moon Base Program, said students would bring fresh perspectives as the agency considers what astronauts would need to live and work at the base.
The competition is tied to NASA’s plans for a sustained human presence in the lunar South Pole region. The agency describes the base as a place for astronauts to live, work, and explore, and says long-term experience on the Moon would help lay the foundation for future crewed missions to Mars. The competition website also identifies research and testing new technologies in extreme environments as roles for the facility.
Registration is scheduled to close on January 25, 2027. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement designed the challenge with the Moon Base Program. The Institute of Competition Sciences administers it through a contract with NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation.