Fifty college teams to test self-driving rovers at 2026 Lunabotics Challenge
Teams will compete to construct protective berms from simulated regolith in a bid to prepare for crewed lunar operations
NASA is hosting the 2026 Lunabotics Challenge from Tuesday, May 19 to Thursday, May 21, at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation's Center for Space Education. The event takes place at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida, with daily operations running between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Fifty college teams from across the United States have been invited to convene for the competition. Participants will design, build, and operate self-driving rovers capable of constructing protective berms from soil and material simulating lunar regolith. This specific task is central to the challenge, requiring teams to demonstrate the ability to create barriers that could safeguard future infrastructure on the Moon.
The competition is part of NASA's Artemis Student Challenges, a programme established in 2010 to engage students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. By expanding opportunities for student research and design, the event aims to retain young talent in STEM fields while developing the engineering skills necessary for lunar infrastructure protection.
Kurt Leucht, a software developer and In-Situ Resource Utilization researcher at Kennedy, highlighted the significance of the task. He noted that robotically building berm structures is vital for the preparation and support of crewed lunar missions. According to Leucht, the competing teams are not only honing critical engineering skills for their future careers but are also helping NASA prepare for future Artemis missions to the Moon.
In the context of future Artemis missions, these berms are designed to serve multiple protective functions. They could shield equipment from debris generated during lunar landings and launches, shade cryogenic propellant tank farms, and protect nuclear power plants from space radiation. The development of such structures is viewed as an essential component of long-term lunar habitation.
Media are invited to attend the competition event on Wednesday, May 20. Those wishing to participate must RSVP by 4 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 18, to the Kennedy newsroom at [email protected]. Links to view the competition live can be found on the agency's dedicated Lunabotics page.
