Photo credit: www.nasa.gov
NASA Highlights 2025 Human Exploration Rover Challenge Winners
Nasa has revealed the standout student teams in the 2025 Human Exploration Rover Challenge. This year’s event tasked participants with the creation and testing of lunar rovers that could either be driven by human operators or controlled remotely. Awards were given across several categories, reflecting the innovative spirit and engineering capabilities of students from various educational institutions.
In the human-powered category, Parish Episcopal School from Dallas, Texas, triumphed in the high school division, while Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, took home the top honor in the college and university category. The remote-control division saw Bright Foundation from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, emerge first in the middle and high school bracket, whereas Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo from the Dominican Republic secured the college and university title.
This annual engineering competition, which stands as one of NASA’s most established student challenges, concluded on April 11 and 12, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, adjoining NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Below is a comprehensive list of the award winners for 2025:
Award Winners
Human-Powered
High School Division:
First Place: Parish Episcopal School, Dallas, Texas
Second Place: Ecambia High School, Pensacola, Florida
Third Place: Centro Boliviano Americano, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
College/University Division:
First Place: Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina
Second Place: Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Third Place: University of Alabama in Huntsville
Remote-Control
Middle School/High School Division:
First Place: Bright Foundation, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Second Place: Assumption College, Bangrak, Bangkok, Thailand
Third Place: Erie High School, Erie, Colorado
College/University Division:
First Place: Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Second Place: Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina
Third Place: Tecnologico de Monterey – Campus Cuernavaca, Xochitepec, Morelos, Mexico
Human-Powered highlights also included recognition for the International Hope School of Bangladesh in the high school division and Auburn University in the university category. Remote-control teams from various regions were also acknowledged, showcasing the international reach of the competition.
This year, over 500 students representing 75 teams from around the globe participated in the challenge, which is now in its 31st year. Teams hailed from 35 universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools across 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 additional countries. Competitors earned points by navigating a half-mile obstacle course, executing specific mission tasks, and successfully completing numerous safety and design reviews with NASA engineers.
Significantly, NASA has expanded the scope of this year’s challenge to include a remote-control division, aimed particularly at engaging middle school students in science and engineering disciplines.
“This student design challenge inspires the next generation of scientists and engineers to delve into the design process, presenting innovative ideas and fresh perspectives,” stated Vemitra Alexander, who oversees the challenge for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall. “It also upholds NASA’s legacy of providing meaningful experiences for students who may be tasked with planning future space missions, inclusive of crewed exploratory ventures to other celestial bodies.”
The rover challenge aligns with NASA’s broader initiatives, being one of the eight Artemis Student Challenges, which support the goals of the Artemis program aimed at landing astronauts on the Moon and establishing a sustainable presence there, as well as preparing for future missions to Mars. Such initiatives are designed to motivate students to pursue careers in STEM fields.
Managed by NASA’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall, the competition has seen participation from over 15,000 students since its introduction in 1994. Notably, many former participants have gone on to work with NASA or in various sectors of the aerospace industry.
For further information on the Human Exploration Rover Challenge, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/roverchallenge/home/index.html
Source
www.nasa.gov