Get Ready for the 2026 Lunabotics Challenge: NASA’s Call to Innovators!

NASA’s 2026 Lunabotics Challenge: A New Frontier for College Innovators

As the academic year kicks off, college students nationwide have an exciting opportunity on the horizon: NASA’s 2026 Lunabotics Challenge. Starting Monday, September 8, interested teams can submit their applications and required documents through NASA’s Stem Gateway portal.

Challenge Overview and Important Dates

For comprehensive details and key dates, participants can refer to the 2026 Lunabotics Challenge Guidebook. After reviewing all submissions, NASA will inform the selected teams to commence their journey in the challenge.

Innovative Lunar Construction

This year, student teams will design robots capable of constructing berms using lunar regolith, the loose material covering the Moon’s surface. These structures are vital for various lunar mission needs, such as providing blast protection during landings, offering shade for cryogenic tanks, and shielding against radiation for nuclear facilities.

Building Skills for the Future

“Continuing the Lunabotics competition is thrilling as NASA advances Moon to Mars technologies for the Artemis program,” stated Robert Mueller, a senior technologist at NASA and co-founder of the Lunabotics competition. “Excavating and transporting regolith is essential for building infrastructure on the Moon and Mars, and this competition equips the future workforce with 21st-century skills.”

Competition Timeline and Events

An in-person qualifying event is scheduled for May 12-17, 2026, at the University of Central Florida’s Space Institute’s Exolith Lab in Orlando. The top 10 teams will then advance to the final showdown on May 19-21 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Artemis Arena in Florida, featuring a lunar regolith simulant. The team with the highest score will win the Lunabotics Grand Prize and participate in a special exhibition at NASA Kennedy.

Fostering Innovation and Skill Development

By promoting creative construction methods and evaluating student designs akin to its own prototypes, NASA seeks innovative solutions for future Artemis missions. This includes developing lunar excavators, in-situ resource utilization capabilities, and strategies for living on the Moon or Mars. Lunabotics serves as a multidisciplinary training ground, offering hands-on experience in coding, engineering, manufacturing, and more, while providing technical insights into space technology.

A Legacy of Innovation

Since its inception in 2010, NASA’s Lunabotics Challenge has been a cornerstone of the Artemis Student Challenges. This two-semester competition invites U.S. college and technical school teams to design, build, and operate a prototype lunar robot using NASA systems engineering methodologies. These competitions help NASA gather innovative design data, mitigate risks, and generate fresh ideas essential for the Artemis campaign, paving the way for human exploration of Mars.

For more information on Lunabotics, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/lunabotics-challenge/