Announcing the 2025 HUman Lander Challenge

NASA’s Human Lander Challenge (HuLC) is an initiative supporting NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate’s (ESDMD’s) efforts to explore innovative solutions for a variety of known HLS challenge areas. Through this competition, college students become important partners in NASA’s advancement of HLS technologies, concepts, and approaches. Improvements in these technology areas have the potential to revolutionize NASA’s approach to space exploration, and contributions from the academic community are a valuable part of the journey to discovery. HuLC is open to undergraduate and graduate students at accredited colleges and universities in the United States. Minority Serving Institutions are encouraged to apply. HuLC projects allow students to incorporate their coursework into real aerospace design concepts and work together in a team environment. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged.

In-space propulsion systems utilizing cryogenic liquids as propellants are necessary to achieve NASA’s exploration missions to the Moon, and later to Mars. In current state of the art (SOA) human scale, in-space propulsion vehicles, cryogenic liquids can be stored for several hours. In order for the planned HLS mission architecture to close, cryogenic liquids must be stored on-orbit on the order of several months.

The 2025 Human Lander Challenge asks teams of students and their faculty advisors to design innovative solutions and technology developments addressing in-space cryogenic liquid storage and transfer systems for long duration NASA missions to the Moon.

Teams are invited to develop innovative, systems-level solutions to understand, mitigate potential problems, and mature advanced cryogenic fluid technologies that can be implemented within 3-5 years.

Congratulations to our 2024 HuLC Competition Winners

First Place Overall:
University of Michigan

Second Place Overall: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Third Place Overall:
University of Colorado, Boulder

Colorado School of Mines

Project Title: Prudent Landers – FAST
Advisors: Mark Florida, Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid, David Purcell

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Project Title: Plume Additive for Reducing Surface Ejecta and Cratering (PARSEC)
Advisor: Dr. Siwei Fan

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Project Title: Ceramic Research Advancement Technology at Embry-Riddle (C.R.A.T.E.R.)
Advisor: Seetha Raghavan

Ohio Northern University

Project Title: HuLC Smash
Advisor: Dr. Louis DiBerardino

Texas A&M University

Project Title: Maroon Moon: Preliminary Surface Stabilization to Mitigate Lunar Plume Surface Interaction
Advisors: John F. Connolly, Dr. Jean-Louis Briaud

Texas A&M University

Project Title: Synthetic Orbital Landing Area for Crater Elimination (SOLACE)
Advisor: Dr. Helen Reed

Texas State University

Project Title: Numerical Simulation and Physical Validation of Regolith Ejecta During Plume Surface Interaction
Advisor: Dr. Bin Xiao

The College of New Jersey

Project Title: TCNJ Adaptable Regolith Retention Program (TARRP)
Advisor: Mohammed Alabsi

University of California, San Diego

Project Title: MOON Pads: Microwave-Sintering Operations Of Nanophase-Iron Pads
Advisors: Dr. Amy Eguchi, Dr. Zahra Sadeghizadeh, Dr. Ross Turner

University of Colorado, Boulder

Project Title: Lunar Surface Assessment Tool (LSAT): A Simulation of Lunar Dust Dynamics for Risk Analysis
Advisor: James Nabity

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Project Title: HINDER: Holistic Integration of Navigational Dynamics for Erosion Reduction
Advisor: Laura Villafane Roca

University of Michigan

Project Title: ARC-LIGHT: Algorithm for Robust Characterization of Lunar surface Imaging for Ground Hazards and Trajectory
Advisor: Mirko Gamba, Chris Ruf

Challenge Updates & News

Finalist Teams Announcement

Read NASA’s Feature Story announcing the 2024 HuLC Finalist Teams.

Challenge Announcement

Read NASA’s Feature Story announcing the inaugural Human Lander Challenge (HuLC).

Challenge Announcement

Read NASA’s feature story announcing the HuLC competition.

Interested in Competing?

Review the Challenge Guidelines for more details and find out how to apply.

Join the Q&A Session

A Question & Answer Session for interested teams is scheduled for November 8, 2:00-3:30 p.m. EST.  Submit a question by Noon on October 31.

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