NASA has officially opened the application for the 2026 Human Exploration Rover Challenge.
The agency said Friday it is soliciting proposals from student teams to design, build and test rovers for exploring the Moon and Mars. Teams from middle school, high school and university interested in participating in the challenge have until September 15 to submit their proposals. An in-person event will be held from April 9 to 11 in the U.S. Space & Rocket Center near NASA Marshall.
Mimicking Real-World Moon & Mars Exploration
The 2026 edition of the challenge reflects future Artemis missions to the Moon. It calls for teams to develop rovers that can perform mission tasks while navigating a half-mile course simulating the Moon and Mars terrain. The rover should be capable of collecting and testing soil, water and air samples from various locations on the simulated terrain, including asteroid debris, craters, boulders, erosion ruts and an ancient streambed.
The 32nd annual competition will feature a human-powered division, in which students will act like astronauts and manually collect the sample using a custom-built tool. For the remote-controlled division, the teams will utilize pressurized rovers to collect and store the samples onboard. Guidelines for both divisions are available in the HERC 2026 handbook.
Remarks From NASA Program Specialist
“NASA’s Human Exploration Rover Challenge creates opportunities for students to develop the skills they need to be successful STEM professionals,” said Vemitra Alexander, 2026 HERC activity lead.
“This challenge will help students see themselves in the mission and give them the hands-on experience needed to advance technology and become the workforce of tomorrow,” she added.
