NASA selects university finalists for 2026 RASC-AL competition

NASA selected 14 university teams from across the nation as finalists in the 2026 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Competition. The challenge tasks students to design innovative concepts that could further human life and work on the Moon, Mars, and beyond, and links academia with the aerospace community to foster innovation, collaboration, and workforce development in support of NASA’s long-term exploration goals.

The competition invited teams to develop technically rigorous proposals addressing one of four mission themes: Communications, Position, Navigation, and Time (CPNT) Architectures for Mars Surface Operations; Lunar Surface Power and Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) Architectures; Lunar Sample Return Concepts; and Lunar Technology Demonstrations Leveraging Common Infrastructure.

Each topic reflects relevant areas of exploration technology development aligned with NASA’s Artemis program and long-term human missions to Mars.

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