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3 Min Read

NASA Opens 2027 Human Lander Challenge for Lunar Communications

NASA’s 2027 Human Lander Challenge is seeking ideas from college and university students to help address one of the most critical needs for sustained lunar exploration: reliable communications.

As NASA prepares for long-term human presence on the Moon through the Artemis and Moon Base programs, communications systems will be just as important as spacecraft and rockets. A resilient communications system will connect astronauts, rovers, habitats, landers, mission support teams on Earth, and more. Reliable communications are essential for ensuring safety, coordinating complex operations, and enabling timely decision-making in the harsh and remote lunar environment.

“Reliable communications will be at the heart of our ability to explore and operate on the Moon,” said Jeremy Del Greco, Human Landing System program communications integration lead at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. “As Artemis and Moon Base missions expand our presence beyond Earth, we will need dependable connections across the lunar surface and beyond. The 2027 Human Lander Challenge gives students the opportunity to help shape the communications capabilities of tomorrow and support future lunar exploration.”

The 2027 competition invites United States-based collegiate teams and their faculty advisers to develop innovative, systems-level solutions to better understand, establish, and optimize lunar communications for landers and surface operations that can be implemented within three to five years.

Teams should submit a non-binding notice of intent by Thursday, Oct. 15, if they would like to participate. Proposal packages, including a five to seven-page proposal and a two-minute video, are due March 4, 2027.

While teams may propose solutions outside of the focus areas, NASA has identified three main categories to advance future lunar communications capabilities:

• Hardware:
  • Space-rated wireless networks and electronics
  • Antenna signal propagation, modeling, and environmental mitigation
• Software:
  • Data efficiency and link optimization
  • Network management and scheduling
• Architecture
  • Surface communications system architecture
  • Orbital communications system architecture

Based on proposal package evaluations in phase 1, up to 12 finalist teams will be selected to receive $9,000 and advance to phase 2 of the competition, which includes a final design review in Huntsville, Alabama, home of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, June 21–24, 2027. The top three teams from phase 2 will share a total prize of $18,000.

The Human Lander Challenge is administered by the National Institute of Aerospace on behalf of the agency and supports NASA’s efforts to foster innovative solutions to a variety of areas for long-duration human spaceflight plans at the Moon. The Human Lander Challenge is sponsored by the agency’s Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate’s Human Landing System Program Office.

Through the Artemis program, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars – for the benefit of all.

For more information on NASA’s Human Lander Challenge and how to participate, visit:

https://hulc.nianet.org/

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NASA has awarded a contract to Omitron Inc. for the acquisition of orbital safety analysis services, which provide for critical protection of NASA spaceflight assets and astronaut lives.

This indefinite-delivery contract is valued at approximately $23.5 million over a five-year period of performance and entails conjunction assessment screening services for all NASA uncrewed spacecraft, support of human spaceflight activities, and orbital safety analysis support to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Space Commerce.

The work will take place at Omitron’s location in Beltsville, Maryland, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren in Virginia, and Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

For information about NASA and agency programs, please visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/

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Robert Garner
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
301-286-5687
rob.garner@nasa.gov

NASA will participate in the 77th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Antalya, Türkiye, from Monday, Oct. 5, to Friday, Oct. 9, highlighting America’s leadership in human exploration to the Moon and Mars, advancing responsible exploration under the Artemis Accords, world-changing science, and support for the commercial space sector. 

The IAC, organized by the International Astronautical Federation, is hosted this year by the Turkish Space Agency (TUA). 

The NASA delegation, led by NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson, will take part in plenary sessions, technical discussions, and media engagements throughout the week. 

Monday, Oct. 5  

• 3 a.m. EDT (10 a.m. TRT): “One-to-One with Heads of Space Agencies” featuring Anderson  
• 9:30 a.m. EDT (4:30 p.m. TRT): “Transforming the Speed of Science with a New Model for Earth Observation Cooperation: International and Commercial Fleets with More Rapid Mission Development” with keynote speaker Karen St. Germain, division director, Earth Science Division, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate 

Tuesday, Oct. 6 

• 4:45 a.m. EDT (11:45 a.m. TRT): “Artemis II Mission Results: The Industry Perspective” featuring Jeremy Parsons, Artemis program manager, NASA’s Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate 

Wednesday, Oct. 7  

• 3:15 a.m. EDT (10:15 a.m. TRT): “Space Manufacturing Technology: Driving the Next Revolution in Biotechnology, Advanced Materials, and Human Exploration” featuring Fathi Karouia, senior research scientist, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science, exobiology branch, NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley 
• 4:35 a.m. EDT (11:35 a.m. TRT): “From Observation to Decision – Cracking the Last Mile Challenge” with St. Germain  
• 5 a.m. EDT (12 p.m. TRT): Artemis Accords news conference with Anderson and Major General Roberto Melgar Sheen, director of the Peruvian Space Agency (CONIDA) 
• 8 a.m. EDT (3 p.m. TRT): “Trusted AI on Mars” featuring Steve Chien, technical fellow and senior research scientist in the Artificial Intelligence Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California 
• 9:35 a.m. EDT (4:35 p.m. TRT): “NASA’s Artemis II Preliminary Lunar Science Release” featuring Anderson, Dr. Lori Glaze, associate administrator, NASA’s Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate, Dr. Nicky Fox, associate administrator, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, and Dr. Kelsey Young, Artemis II lunar science lead, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate 

Thursday, Oct. 8  

• 10:45 a.m. EDT (5:45 p.m. TRT): “Pioneering Organ-Chip Research in Space to Advance Precision Health” featuring Dr. Lisa Carnell, division director, Biological and Physical Sciences, NASA’s Science Mission Directorate  

Friday, Oct. 9 

• 3 a.m. EDT (10 a.m. TRT): “What It’s Like to Be an Astronaut” with NASA astronaut Chris Williams at NASA’s exhibit

How to Attend/Watch 

A full agenda for this year’s IAC is available online for registered media. To view select events, visit the International Astronautical Federation YouTube channel.  

In addition to the events outlined above, NASA will have an exhibit featuring the agency’s contributions to space exploration, celebrating the U.S. Freedom 250 commemoration, and U.S. leadership in space exploration, science, and technological innovation.

NASA’s exhibit booth number is in Hall 1 at NEST Convention Centre. 

To learn more about NASA international partnerships, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/oiir

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George Alderman / Elizabeth Shaw  
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-1600 
george.a.alderman@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.shaw@nasa.gov

In accordance with a contract on-ramp clause, NASA has added Blue Origin’s New Glenn 9×4 launch service to the NASA Launch Services (NLS) II contract. The New Glenn 9×4 launch service will be available to NASA’s Launch Services Program Office to use for future missions.

The NLS II contracts are multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with an ordering period through June 2030, and an overall period of performance through December 2032. The NLS II contracts include an on-ramp provision that provides an opportunity annually for new launch service providers to compete for future missions and allows existing contractors to introduce launch vehicles not currently on their NLS II contracts.

The NLS II contracts support the goals and objectives of the agency’s Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate, Science Mission Directorate, and the Research and Technology Mission Directorate. Under the contract, NASA also can provide launch services to other government agencies, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

NASA’s Launch Services Program Office at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida manages the NLS II contracts. For more information about NASA visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

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Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Leejay Lockhart
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-747-8310
leejay.lockhart@nasa.gov