NASA has announced the winners of the 2026 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts – Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition, highlighting innovative projects that aim to advance aerospace technology. The top prize was awarded to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for their project, Exploration-Class Lunar Integrated Power SystEm.
In addition to MIT’s first-place project, another team from the same institution secured second place with their initiative, Mars Exploration Layered Infrastructure for Operations, Research, and Advancement. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University claimed third place with their project, Mars Pylon Network.
The RASC-AL competition not only fosters innovation but also aligns with NASA’s workforce development goals by providing university teams with hands-on experience in mission architecture development, systems engineering, and technical communication. “The winning teams demonstrated how academic innovation can support Artemis mission goals,” stated Daniel Mazanek, program sponsor for RASC-AL and senior space systems engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Mazanek emphasized that the projects showcase the significant role of student research in shaping future space exploration, noting that disciplined analysis can elevate innovative ideas into viable exploration concepts.
Fourteen finalist teams participated in a multi-day RASC-AL Forum held in Cocoa Beach, Florida, where they presented their mission architectures, technology solutions, and supporting analyses. These presentations provided students with valuable real-time engineering feedback, mirroring the scrutiny applied to human spaceflight concepts under development at NASA.
Awards were given to teams that exhibited the highest levels of technical rigor, innovation, and mission alignment. Alongside the top prizes, several special awards were also presented:
Best in Communications, Position, Navigation, and Time Architectures for Mars Surface Operations Theme: Massachusetts Institute of Technology for Mars Exploration Layered Infrastructure for Operations, Research, and Advancement (MELIORA).
Best in Lunar Sample Return Concept Theme: South Dakota State University for Sample Extraction of Lunar Elements for Network Entry (SELENE).
Best in Lunar Surface Power and Power Management and Distribution Architectures Theme: Massachusetts Institute of Technology for Exploration-Class Lunar Integrated Power SystEm (ECLIPSE).
Best in Lunar Technology Demonstrations Leveraging Common Infrastructure Theme: Massachusetts Institute of Technology for CLPS-enabled Highly-autonomous End-to-End isruSystem Evaluations to Build Understanding and Resilient Growth by Experimenting with Regolith (CHEESEBURGER).
Best Prototype: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Campus for Advanced Utilization of Resources for Energy & Viability Off-Earth (Project AUREVO) and University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with Leonardo de Vinci Engineering School for Mining and Advanced Transformation of Regolith for Infrastructure and eXpansion (MATRIX).
Christopher Jones, program sponsor for RASC-AL and chief technologist for the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate at NASA Langley, remarked, “The RASC-AL program allows students to demonstrate their ability to transform innovative concepts into technically sound studies, with emphasis on technical rigor, clear communication, and systems-level thinking.” He noted that these qualities are essential for effective engineering and reflect the standards required for real-world aerospace problem-solving.
The NASA RASC-AL competition is a collaborative effort across multiple agencies, administered by the National Institute of Aerospace and managed by the NASA Tournament Lab, part of the agency’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing Program.
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