Attention engineers: NASA calls all innovators to test their skills in the 2025 Lunabotics Challenge, here’s how to apply

NASA is calling on teams from colleges, universities, technical, and vocational schools across the country to showcase their engineering prowess in the 2025 Lunabotics Challenge. The competition aims to inspire the Artemis Generation—students passionate about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)—to explore these fields for the betterment of humanity.

Challenge Overview

Managed by NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, the Lunabotics Challenge invites teams to design and build autonomous or telerobotic robots capable of navigating a simulated lunar surface and performing construction tasks. Competitors must tackle the challenges of regolith, or lunar soil, simulants used for excavation and construction, and ensure their robots can operate both autonomously and remotely. Teams must also navigate weight and size constraints while demonstrating innovative solutions.

Opportunity for Innovation

Participating in NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges offers students a unique chance to contribute data on robotic excavator and builder designs, influencing future lunar and Martian missions. The competition encourages creative construction techniques and evaluates student designs with the same rigor as NASA’s own prototypes. This approach enhances the likelihood of discovering effective solutions for the challenges faced during the Artemis campaign on the Moon.

Application Details

Applications for the Lunabotics Challenge open at 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, 6 September. The competition will close on Thursday, 12 September, with selected teams announced on Friday, 20 September. Successful teams will compete in the University of Central Florida’s Lunabotics Qualification Challenge in May 2025. The top performers will then be invited to the final event at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida later that month.

The Lunabotics Challenge, running annually since 2010, is part of NASA’s broader Artemis Student Challenges, which support the goals of the Artemis campaign. This campaign aims to land the first woman, first person of colour, and first international astronaut on the Moon, establishing a long-term presence and paving the way for future exploration of Mars. Over 7,000 students have participated in Lunabotics, with many now working at NASA or within the aerospace industry.