NASA Opens 2027 Human Lander Challenge for Lunar Communications
NASA has launched the 2027 Human Lander Challenge, inviting United States-based college and university students, along with their faculty advisers, to submit systems-level solutions for reliable lunar communications supporting Artemis and Moon Base missions.
NASA has launched the 2027 Human Lander Challenge, inviting United States-based college and university students, along with their faculty advisers, to submit systems-level solutions for reliable lunar communications supporting Artemis and Moon Base missions. Administered by the National Institute of Aerospace and sponsored by the Human Landing System Program Office, the competition focuses on three main categories: hardware, software, and architecture.
Participants must submit a non-binding notice of intent by Thursday, Oct. 15, and complete proposal packages consisting of a five to seven-page proposal and a two-minute video by March 4, 2027. Following phase 1 evaluations, up to 12 finalist teams will receive $9,000 each to advance to phase 2, which features a final design review scheduled for June 21–24, 2027, in Huntsville, Alabama.
The top three teams in phase 2 will share a total prize pool of $18,000. According to Jeremy Del Greco, the Human Landing System program communications integration lead at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the initiative aims to help develop dependable connections across the lunar surface and beyond for sustained exploration.
Original publication: 30 September 2026 02:57
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