NASA Opens Applications for Second Season of ORBIT Student Challenge With $500,000 in Prizes
NASA has opened applications for the second season of the ORBIT (Opportunities in Research, Business, Innovation, and Technology) Student Challenge, which runs through Monday, Nov. 16, 2026.
NASA has opened applications for the second season of the ORBIT (Opportunities in Research, Business, Innovation, and Technology) Student Challenge, which runs through Monday, Nov. 16, 2026. Registration is available via the NASA STEM Gateway, and the expanded program offers up to $500,000 in total prize funding. Participating student teams conduct targeted research, build early models, and perform feasibility analyses, with top performers advancing to an in-person Pitch Showcase evaluated by expert judges.
The competition features two primary tracks: the ORBIT Earth track, where participants use NASA-owned patents to create commercial or nonprofit solutions for terrestrial problems, and the ORBIT Space track, focused on technologies supporting NASA’s Artemis program and future exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Projects combining goals from both tracks can qualify for an Integration Bonus, while the second season also introduces the Faculty Advisors’ Choice Award and the Next Steps Award.
The challenge aims to provide students with agency mentors, immersive mission experience, and industry-ready skills. Complete rules and details can be found at https://nasaorbit.org/.
The story so far
Earlier coverage connected by shared names and topics. Follow the dates to see how coverage developed; these links do not imply every article describes the same event.
NASA and Katalyst Space Gain Valuable Experience After Swift Observatory Boost Mission Fails to Raise OrbitA commercial mission intended to boost NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory concluded without raising the spacecraft’s orbit, but NASA and industry vendor…
Connected by: ORBITEARLIER COVERAGE- SpaceX Starship Reaches Orbit and Deploys 26 Next-Generation Starlink Satellites During Test Flight
SpaceX achieved a major milestone on Monday, September 28, 2026, when its 14th Starship test flight reached low-Earth orbit for the first…
Connected by: MondayEARLIER COVERAGE - NASA's Perseverance Rover Explores Ancient Rocks and Boulders in the Lac de Charmes Region on Mars
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has been actively exploring the “Lac de Charmes” region, an area of valleys and ridges west of the…
Connected by: NASAEARLIER COVERAGE - Under the Microscope: NASA-Made Material for Moon Manufacturing
Researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland have developed a new manufacturing material combining a special biodegradable plastic with simulated Moon…
Connected by: InnovationEARLIER COVERAGE - NOWNASA Opens Applications for Second Season of ORBIT Student Challenge With $500,000 in PrizesCURRENT UPDATE
Original publication: 29 September 2026 20:41
