The 2025 RASC-AL Competition is seeking undergraduate and graduate teams to develop new concepts that leverage innovation to improve our ability to operate on the Moon, Mars and beyond.

The 2025 RASC-AL Competition is seeking undergraduate and graduate teams to develop new concepts that leverage innovation to improve our ability to operate on the Moon, Mars and beyond. Each team’s response should address novel and robust technologies, capabilities, and operational models that support expanding humanity’s ability to thrive beyond Earth. In this year’s RASC-AL Competition, teams and their faculty advisors are invited to design and propose innovative solutions with supporting original engineering and analysis in response to one of the following themes: Sustained Lunar Evolution – An Inspirational Moment, Advanced Science Missions and Technology Demonstrators for Human-Mars Precursor Campaign, and Small Lunar Servicing and Maintenance Robot.    

RASC-AL is sponsored by the Moon to Mars Architecture Development Office within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) at NASA Headquarters, and by the Space Mission Analysis Branch (SMAB) within the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate (SACD) at NASA’s Langley Research Center.   

• Forum & Award: Up to 14 finalist teams will be selected to receive a $6,500 award stipend to facilitate full participation in the RASC-AL Competition Forum, held in Cocoa Beach, FL in June 2025. The top two overall winning teams will be invited to present their design projects to industry experts at a major aerospace conference in 2025, such as AIAA ASCEND (additional travel stipends provided). 
• Action Required: Student teams will submit a 7-9-page Proposal and 2-minute Video summarizing the team’s proposal concept.   
• Deadline: Proposal and Video Submissions are due February 24, 2025. View the 2025 RASC-AL Competition Guidelines here.   
• Frequency: Annual; Themes vary by year.   
• Contact: RASCAL@nianet.org