NASA announced the Massachusetts Institute of Technology project, the Exploration-Class Lunar Integrated Power System, as the first-place winner for the 2026 Revolutionary Aerospace System Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition, which challenges students to bridge the gap in aerospace technology by inventing new system concepts and prototypes.
Another team from the same university took second place for their project, Mars Exploration Layered Infrastructure for Operations, Research, and Advancement, while Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University took third place with the Mars Pylon Network.
While empowering the next generation, the competition also supports the agency’s workforce development priorities by providing university teams with practical experience in mission architecture development, systems engineering and technical communications.
“The winning teams demonstrated how educational innovation can support Artemis mission goals,” said Daniel Majanec, RASC-AL’s program sponsor and senior space systems engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. “Their work highlights the important role of student research in shaping the future of space exploration, and the results show how disciplined analysis can elevate innovative ideas into viable exploration concepts.”
Fourteen finalists attended the multi-day RASC-AL Forum in Cocoa Beach, Florida and gave formal presentations outlining their mission architecture, technology solutions, and supporting analyses. These discussions provided real-time engineering feedback to the students, exposing them to the rigor and scrutiny applied to human spaceflight concepts under development within the agency.
Awards were presented to teams demonstrating the highest levels of technical rigor, innovation and mission alignment. In addition to the top awards, other awards include:
- Best in Communications, Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Architecture for Mars Surface Operations Theme: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mars Exploration Layered Infrastructure for Operations, Research, and Advancement (MELIORA)
- Best in Lunar Sample Return Concept Theme: South Dakota State University
Sample Extraction of Lunar Elements for Network Entry (SELENE)
- Best in Lunar Surface Power and Power Management and Distribution Architecture Theme: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Exploration-Class Lunar Integrated Power System (ECLIPSE)
- Best in Lunar Technology Demonstrations Leveraging the Common Infrastructure Theme: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
CLPS-Enabled Highly-Autonomous End-to-End ISRU System Evaluation to Build Understanding and Resilient Development Using Regolith (Cheeseburger)
- Best Prototype:
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus
Advanced use of resources for energy and feasibility beyond Earth (Project Orevo)
Leonardo da Vinci Engineering School with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mining and advanced transformation of regolith (matrix) for infrastructure and expansion
“The RASC-AL program allows students to demonstrate their ability to transform innovative concepts into technically robust studies with an emphasis on technical rigor, clear communication and systems-level thinking,” said Christopher Jones, program sponsor of RASC-AL and chief technologist for the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at NASA Langley. “These are the hallmarks of effective engineering we are looking for and reflect the standards required for real-world aerospace problem-solving,”
The NASA RASC-AL competition represents a cross-agency collaboration. The competition is administered by the National Institute of Aerospace and managed by the NASA Tournament Lab, part of the agency’s Rewards, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program.
For more information, visit:
https://go.nasa.gov/3GS1OGm
