NASA’s 2025 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Competition is seeking collegiate-level teams to develop new concepts that leverage innovation to improve our ability to operate on the Moon, Mars and beyond!
Open to all full-time or part-time undergraduate and graduate students at an accredited U.S.-based community college, college or university, the RASC-AL Competition asks teams and their faculty advisors to design and propose innovative solutions with supporting original engineering and analysis in response to one of the following themes:
Sustained Lunar Evolutions – An Inspirational Moment
Design a scalable lunar infrastructure and services architecture that harnesses space logistics, ISAM (in-space servicing, assembly and manufacturing) and ISRU (in-situ resource utilization) to ensure permanent presence of a rotating crew of human and robotic explorers at the lunar South Pole.
Advanced Science Missions and Technology Demonstrators for Human-Mars Precursor Campaign
Design either a science or technology demonstration mission concept that leverages human-scale launch, transportation, entry and landing capabilities at Mars.
Small Lunar Servicing and Maintenance Robot
Design a servicing and maintenance robot of less than 500 kg for use on the lunar surface to supplement crew time performing tasks such as connecting umbilicals, swapping payloads, inspecting systems and monitoring the lunar environment.
Up to fourteen finalist teams will be selected to receive a $6,500 award stipend to continue their concepts and present them to a panel of NASA and industry judges in a competitive design review at the 2025 RASC-AL Competition Forum in Cocoa Beach, Florida, on June 1-4, 2025.
Learn more here.
