NASA has launched the 2025 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage competition seeking proposals to develop new ideas on future deep space exploration.
The 2025 RASC-AL program will focus on three themes, including concepts for large-scale, long-term lunar surface habitation and technology demonstrators for Mars exploration, NASA said.
The program, one of NASA’s longest competitions, will also accept proposals on developing a small lunar servicing and maintenance robot.
Teams of undergraduate and graduate university students and their faculty advisers have until Oct.16 to submit a notice of intent to join the competition. The deadline for the proposals and videos of teams that submitted notices is Feb. 24, 2025.
NASA will select up to 14 team finalists, which will each receive a $6,500 stipend for them to present their concepts in a competitive design review at the 2025 RASC- AL Forum in Cocoa Beach, Florida, in June 2025.
The top two overall teams selected during the forum will receive additional stipends to enable their concept presentation at an aerospace conference later in 2025.
Dan Mazanek, assistant branch head for the Exploration Space Mission Analysis Branch at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, called the event “a wellspring for groundbreaking ideas,” fostering creativity and pushing space exploration boundaries.
“We are looking for innovative solutions that can advance our capabilities beyond Earth’s orbit and pave the way for sustainable lunar exploration and beyond,” he said.