# NASA Adds $1 Million Student Challenge to Moon Base Program U.S. high-school and post-secondary teams can submit lunar design concepts, with registration open until January 25, 2027. By Will Langan | 24X7 News Published: 2026-10-30T23:05:10.216Z Updated: 2026-11-08T18:00:33.763Z Section: Science Format: News Canonical: https://24x7news.us/articles/nasa-max-power-moon-base-briefing-november-2026 Update — November 8, 2026: NASA announced a $1 million Moon Base Student Challenge on Sunday at the MAX POWER event in Florida, adding an educational competition to the program announcements below. The agency says teams from U.S. high schools and post-secondary institutions can develop design concepts in six areas: power generation and storage, construction, life support, surface mobility, communications networks and astronaut safety. Registration through NASA STEM Gateway remains open until January 25, 2027. NASA directs prospective participants to the competition’s official rules for complete eligibility and submission requirements. The challenge asks students to work with lunar environmental and mission constraints. Its deliverables include concept proposals, trade studies and presentations, and the agency says prior specialized engineering experience is not required. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement developed the competition with the Moon Base Program. The Institute of Competition Sciences administers it through an agency contract. This is a student design competition. The separate lunar-delivery contracts, rover plans and earlier event schedule below retain their original announcement dates and terms. Earlier Reporting: Update — November 7, 2026, 6:04 p.m. Central NASA announced new Moon Base contract awards and mission plans Saturday at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, replacing the earlier schedule-only advisory with substantive program decisions. Eight companies were selected for CLPS 2, a 10-year lunar-delivery framework with a combined ceiling of $10 billion. Eligibility to compete for future deliveries does not mean each company received a share of that maximum. NASA also raised the existing CLPS contract ceiling from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion. The agency is proceeding with PROMISE, a nuclear-powered rover managed by its Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. NASA targets a late-2028 launch and an 18-month mission near the lunar South Pole. Blue Origin’s delivery award has a $94 million base and a possible $140 million performance-dependent option. Six transportation task orders total approximately $1.3 billion. NASA also selected SpaceX for a planned 2028 lunar communications-satellite deployment. These are awards and future mission targets; the rover and communications infrastructure have not been deployed. Earlier Context — October 30 Advisory NASA announced an event schedule October 30 for the MAX POWER aerospace expo and air show in Florida, including a November 7 news conference on its Moon Base program. The event runs November 6–8 on and near Kennedy Space Center. NASA said it will display its X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft, while participating organizations plan exhibits involving spacecraft, Moon rovers, autonomous vehicles and other technology. The Moon Base briefing is scheduled for 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Saturday, November 7. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, program manager Carlos García-Galán, science associate administrator Nicky Fox and acting infrastructure official Dayna Ise are listed as participants. NASA says the briefing will be streamed through its online platforms. The advisory announces when an update is expected; it does not disclose the contents of that future announcement. Public events on November 7 and 8 are scheduled to open their gates at 9 a.m. EST. NASA cautioned that its listed times are subject to change. Saturday's program includes an appearance by the Artemis III crew: NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik and Frank Rubio, European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano and NASA backup crew member Bob Hines. A separate presentation will discuss the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. Sunday's schedule includes an X-59 media discussion with aeronautics officials and test pilot Jim Less, a student-challenge announcement, and an appearance by SpaceX Crew-12 astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway. NASA said media credentialing has closed and interview requests must be arranged in advance. Its event website carries the current attendance information and schedule. The November event dates should be distinguished from the October 30 release of this planning advisory. Sources NASA — October 30 media advisory M26-084: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-releases-max-power-key-events-for-media-participants/ Archive photograph — NASA KSC-04pd0936, Shuttle Landing Facility, March 31, 2004; public domain: https://images.nasa.gov/details/KSC-04pd0936 NASA — November 7 Moon Base awards and mission update, release 26-095: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-moon-base-transportation-technology-science-projects/ NASA/JPL — November 7 announcement (same agency record, not independent corroboration): https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-awards-moon-base-transportation-technology-science-projects ## Sources - NASA — October 30 media advisory M26-084: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-releases-max-power-key-events-for-media-participants/ - Archive photograph — NASA KSC-04pd0936, Shuttle Landing Facility, March 31, 2004; public domain: https://images.nasa.gov/details/KSC-04pd0936 - NASA — November 7 Moon Base awards and mission update, release 26-095: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-awards-moon-base-transportation-technology-science-projects/ - NASA/JPL — November 7 announcement (same agency record, not independent corroboration): https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-awards-moon-base-transportation-technology-science-projects - NASA — November 8 Moon Base Student Challenge announcement, release26-096: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-announces-1-million-to-students-for-moon-base-challenge/