NASA Lunabotics Competition

NASA’s Lunabotics Competition is a university-level engineering challenge where student teams design, build, and operate tele-operated or autonomous robots to excavate and transport simulated lunar regolith. The competition is hosted by NASA (most recently by Kennedy Space Center) and focuses on real-world engineering constraints relevant to future Moon missions, such as dust mitigation, power, autonomy, and communication. The program is intended for accredited college and university teams rather than high school students, though some high schoolers may participate indirectly through dual-enrollment or mentorship arrangements with universities. Participants gain hands-on experience in systems engineering, robotics, project management, and teamwork, and they interact with NASA engineers who serve as judges and mentors. These experiences can significantly strengthen a future college applicant’s engineering skills and exposure to space-related careers.