Caltech Space Challenge

Students from a wide range of backgrounds (disciplines and nationalities) are invited to join Caltech undergraduate and graduate students to participate in the event. They are formed into two teams, and given a mission design problem. By the end of the week, the teams are expected to produce a final report as well as a final presentation showcasing their unique solution to the mission design probl

Photos from Caltech Space Challenge's post

03/23/2026

We officially welcomed our 32 students to Caltech for the 2026 Caltech Space Challenge yesterday! 🚀

Over the next week, these talented graduate students will take part in an intensive space mission design competition, working in two teams and building their concepts from scratch to final proposal. Along the way, they will collaborate closely with mentors from industry, NASA, and academia, sharpen their technical and teamwork skills, and connect with peers from around the world who share their passion for space exploration.

Arrival day is just the beginning, and we are so excited for the week ahead.

A special thank you to our generous donors for making the 2026 Caltech Space Challenge possible: Keck Institute for Space Studies, JPL, Lynn Booth & Kent Kresa Department of Aerospace, Caltech CAST, DCubed, Honeybee Robotics, PARSEC, and OKSI.

06/23/2025

The Caltech Space Challenge is back!! The applications for the competition are now open to graduate students around the world. Next year's competition, which will take place in March, will be a tremendous opportunity for students to challenge themselves in a group project designing a daring space mission in collaboration with NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory experts and network with both peers and leaders in the aerospace industry. Please apply or share this with those who may be interested!

Industry experts are also welcome to reach out and contact us at [email protected] to discover how they can participate and support this year's competition.

03/27/2022

Space challenge students certainly felt inspired this week and we hope they carry this passion and determination with them in their future missions! ❤️🚀

03/24/2022

Although the Caltech Space Challenge is a team competition, students recognized the team's strength relies on their individual contributions! 👊 Here they are focused on crunching away at mass budgets 🧮, doing science instrument trade-offs 🔬, and trajectory calculations 💫 for their sample return mission from Titan. 🚀