NASA TechLeap Prize Announces Ten Winners of Space Technology Payload Challenge
The NASA TechLeap Prize challenges are open competitions designed to discover promising technologies for space exploration, discovery, and the expansion of space commerce.
Launched in December 2024 as the fourth NASA TechLeap Prize, the Space Technology Payload Challenge received a record-breaking response with more than 500 interested registrants from 46 states and U.S. territories plus the District of Columbia. In March 2025, more than 200 proposed technologies were submitted, and each entry was reviewed by our Evaluation Panel.
Today, the NASA Flight Opportunities program is pleased to announce the selection of ten winners of the NASA TechLeap Prize – Space Technology Payload Challenge:
Aerofly LLC
Near-Vertical Regolith Conveyance for Oxygen ISRU using “Rego-LIFT”
Ambrosia Space Manufacturing Corporation
Cell Separation Centrifuge for Nutrient Production for Crewed Missions
Carthage College
Microgravity Ullage Trapping (MUT)
Ecoatoms
Hardware for Extraction and Reagent Mixing in Experimental Studies (HERMES)
Guinn Partners
Iterative Mars Penetrator for Subsurface Science (IMPRESS)
Helogen Corporation
Cellular Experiment Laboratory System (CELS)
Juno Propulsion Inc.
Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine Satellite Propulsion with Green Propellants
Space Dust Research & Technologies, LLC
Electron Beam Dust Mitigation (EBDM) Technology
SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc.
High-Cadence Microgravity Silicon Semiconductor Crystal Manufacturing
The University of Texas at San Antonio e5 Lab
Mars Atmospheric Reactor for Synthesis of Consumables (MARS-C)
The Space Technology Challenge seeks to advance solutions to address one or more of a select set of NASA’s technology shortfalls. These shortfalls identify areas where further technology development is required to meet future exploration, science, and other mission needs. In addition, technologies to address these select shortfalls are also potentially well suited for a suborbital or hosted orbital flight demonstration to help mature the innovation.
The winning teams will develop their ideas to streamline flight testing of new space technologies. Each team has the opportunity to win prizes of up to $500,000 each and the chance to flight-test their payload with a NASA-assigned flight vehicle.
With a focus on the goal of rapidly demonstrating technologies to address NASA’s technology shortfalls, we look forward to seeing these innovations as they are developed. Let’s get to flight faster!
