NASA Awards $18K in Human Lander Challenge

NASA's Human Lander Challenge concluded its second year on June 26, awarding a total of $18,000 to three university teams for their innovative solutions in cryogenic liquid storage and transfer systems for spaceflight. The competition supports NASA's Artemis missions, which aim to send astronauts to the lunar South Pole and eventually to Mars.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, emerged as the overall winner, receiving the top prize of $10,000. Old Dominion University secured second place with a $5,000 award, while the Massachusetts Institute of Technology took third place, earning $3,000.

The challenge, held near NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, saw 12 finalist teams present their projects to a panel of NASA and industry judges. These teams developed systems-level solutions expected to be applicable within the next 3-5 years for the Artemis program.

Juan Valenzuela, a lead for NASA's Human Landing System Program, emphasized the importance of student innovation in advancing human exploration into deep space, particularly in solving long-duration cryogenic storage challenges.

The event is part of NASA's broader efforts to foster innovation and prepare for future crewed missions to Mars, benefiting scientific discovery and economic growth.