NASA Opens 2027 Human Lander Challenge for Lunar Communications

NASA’s 2027 Human Lander Challenge is seeking ideas from college and university students to address a critical need for sustained lunar exploration: reliable communications. As NASA prepares for long-term human presence on the Moon through Artemis and Moon Base, communications systems will be just as important as spacecraft and rockets, connecting astronauts, rovers, habitats, landers, mission support teams on Earth, and more. Reliable communications are essential for safety, coordinating complex operations, and enabling timely decision-making in the harsh, remote lunar environment.

Jeremy Del Greco, Human Landing System program communications integration lead at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, said reliable communications will be at the heart of exploring and operating on the Moon, and that the challenge gives students a chance to help shape tomorrow’s lunar communications capabilities. The competition invites U.S.-based collegiate teams and faculty advisers to develop innovative, systems-level solutions to better understand, establish, and optimize lunar communications for landers and surface operations that can be implemented within three to five years. Teams should submit a non-binding notice of intent by Thursday, Oct. 15, while proposal packages—including a five- to seven-page proposal and a two-minute video—are due March 4, 2027.

NASA has identified three main focus areas, though teams may propose solutions outside them: hardware, including space-rated wireless networks and electronics, antenna signal propagation, modeling, and environmental mitigation; software, including data efficiency, link optimization, network management, and scheduling; and architecture, including surface and orbital communications system architecture.

Based on phase 1 evaluations, up to 12 finalist teams will receive $9,000 and advance to phase 2, which includes a final design review in Huntsville, Alabama, home of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, June 21–24, 2027. The top three teams from phase 2 will share a total prize of $18,000. The challenge is administered by the National Institute of Aerospace on behalf of NASA and sponsored by the Human Spaceflight Mission Directorate’s Human Landing System Program Office, supporting NASA’s efforts to foster innovative solutions for long-duration human spaceflight plans at the Moon through Artemis.