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NASA Space Apps is a public gateway to NASA science, preparing the next generation of explorers to propel humanity from the Earth to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. NASA Space Apps aims to promote transparency, participation, and global collaboration as part of the Open Government Initiative by sharing openly available data supplied through NASA and its Space Agency Partners to the public through the largest annual global hackathon, the NASA Space Apps Challenge.
NASA Space Apps is funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate through a contract with Booz Allen Hamilton, Mindgrub, and SecondMuse.
The NASA Space Apps Global Organizing (GO) Team is composed of members of these three organizations. The GO Team serves to guide and support Local Leads and participants throughout their NASA Space Apps experience and engage with members of the NASA Space Apps community year-round. Click here to meet the team members.
At NASA Space Apps, there’s always space for one more.
We strive to ensure that NASA Space Apps is a place where all feel they belong, where all are comfortable being authentic, and where all are empowered to contribute to their fullest. NASA Space Apps is committed to providing a professional and productive forum for all to engage in a robust exchange of ideas. All ideas are welcome and we encourage our community to share them.
At all times, participants are responsible for maintaining professional decorum and treating each other with respect and dignity. We encourage collaboration and positive problem solving.
We are a community that embraces collaboration, growth, and respect. Bullying, discrimination, or harassment on any basis will not be tolerated.
If you experience or witness discrimination, harassment, or any form of bullying during the NASA Space Apps Challenge, or have any other concerns, please contact your Local Lead and/or the Space Apps Global Organizing (GO) Team at [email protected]. The GO Team will take appropriate action, which may include warning or expelling offending participants from the event.
The NASA Space Apps Challenge is the largest annual global hackathon. This two-day event sparks innovation by mobilizing an engaged community of technologists and space science enthusiasts to answer the questions that benefit humanity, drive exploration, and exemplify community-driven, gold-standard science.
During the hackathon, participants gather at hundreds of in-person and virtual Local Events to respond to challenges authored by NASA subject matter experts. These challenges range in complexity and topic, tasking participants with everything from creating designing sustainable recycling systems for Mars to developing informational apps and software programs. Participants utilize NASA’s free and open data and its Space Agency Partners’ space-based data to address these real-world problems on Earth and in space.
After the hackathon, project submissions are judged by subject matter experts and winners are selected for Global Awards.
The NASA Space Apps Challenge inspires collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Participants have gone on to form companies inspired by their projects, develop professional careers via employment opportunities or skill development, and network with like-minded individuals in their local community and around the world.
The next Space Apps Challenge will be held on November 14-15, 2026.
NASA Space Apps collaborates with an amazing community to make the Challenge happen. In addition to the thousands of hackathon participants around the world, we collaborate with:
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): SMEs author challenge statements and offer their help during the event by answering participant questions in real time. They work at NASA, Space Agency Partners, and industry collaborators.
Space Agency Partners: These space agencies from around the world provide space-based data and expertise for use in challenge statements and are involved in the judging process for submitted projects.
Local Leads: Local Leads organize a Local Event for a specific city or town to participate in the NASA Space Apps Challenge. Click here to learn more about how to become a Local Lead.
Navigators: Navigators are individuals who provide their expertise and experience with the NASA Space Apps Challenge and/or NASA’s open data to help guide participants through their hackathon journeys.
Amplification Collaborator: Amplification Collaborators are companies or organizations that promote the NASA Space Apps Challenge to their communities. Click here to learn more about how to become a Collaborator.
Global Collaborator: Global Collaborators are companies or organizations that provide free tools and resources to NASA Space Apps Challenge participants to support the creation of their projects. Click here to learn more about how to become a Collaborator.