Photo credit: www.nasa.gov
NASA has announced the selection of fourteen university teams as finalists for the 2025 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) Competition. This competitive event invites both undergraduate and graduate students nationwide to propose innovative ideas aimed at enhancing capabilities for operations on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The finalists are set to present their concepts before a panel comprising NASA officials and aerospace industry experts.
The finalists for the 2025 RASC-AL Competition include:
Sustained Lunar Evolution – An Inspirational Moment:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “M.I.S.T.R.E.S.S. – Moon Infrastructure for Sustainable Technologies, Resource Extraction, and Self-Sufficiency”
Tulane University, “Scalable Constructs for Advanced Lunar Activities and Research (SCALAR)”
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, “Project Aeneas”
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, “Project Khonsu”
Advanced Science Missions and Technology Demonstrators for Human-Mars Precursor Campaign:
Auburn University, “Dynamic Ecosystems for Mars ECLSS Testing, Evaluation, and Reliability (DEMETER)”
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, “MATER: Mars Architecture for Technology Evaluation and Research”
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, “Project Vehicles for Engineering Surface Terrain Architectures (VESTA)”
Small Lunar Servicing and Maintenance Robot:
Arizona State University, “DIANA – Diagnostic and Intelligent Autonomously Navigated Assistant”
South Dakota State University, “Next-gen Operations and Versatile Assistant (NOVA)”
South Dakota State University, “MANTIS: Maintenance and Navigation for Technical Infrastructure Support”
Texas A&M University, “R.A.M.S.E.E.: Robotic Autonomous Maintenance System for Extraterrestrial Environments”
University of Maryland, “Servicing Crane Outfitted Rover for Payloads, Inspection, Operations, N’stuff (SCORPION)”
University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, “Multi-functional Operational Rover for Payload Handling and Navigation (MORPHN)”
Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, “Adaptive Device for Assistance and Maintenance (ADAM)”
The RASC-AL Competition serves as a platform aimed at engaging university students and academic institutions in advancing innovation within aerospace engineering. It provides an opportunity for students to develop groundbreaking concepts that can lead to new technologies essential for future explorations in space. Notably, this year’s proposals focus on advancements in lunar infrastructure, autonomous lunar robots, and concepts for human-scale launches and landings on Mars, all of which are pivotal for upcoming NASA missions.
Daniel Mazanek, a senior space systems engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center, emphasized the practical implications of the current RASC-AL projects, stating, “These projects are more than theoretical exercises; they present viable solutions to some of the ongoing challenges in aerospace. The competition underscores the critical need for innovation and collaborative efforts within the field.”
The selected teams will advance to the next stage of the competition, where they will create and submit a comprehensive technical paper detailing their designs, methodologies, and anticipated outcomes. Each team is scheduled to showcase their work during the 2025 RASC-AL Competition Forum in June 2025, allowing the panel of judges to engage with their proposals.
Dr. Christopher Jones, chief technologist from NASA Langley, shared his enthusiasm for the creativity displayed by the students, remarking, “The innovative and unconventional designs presented by these teams are truly motivating. We are eager to see how their concepts will contribute to NASA’s missions and future exploration initiatives. This marks merely the beginning of their journey, and we take pride in being part of their development.”
For further details about NASA’s RASC-AL Competition, please visit NASA’s RASC-AL Competition Website. The initiative is sponsored by the Strategy and Architecture Office as part of the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters and is managed by the National Institute of Aerospace.
Source
www.nasa.gov