NASA Offers $20,000 for Astronaut Rescue Plan: Here’s How to Apply
NASA has thrown out a challenge to innovators out there to help create a life-saving Lunar Rescue System for astronauts stuck on the Moon.

NASA Offers $20,000 for Astronaut Rescue Plan: NASA has thrown out a challenge to innovators out there to help create a life-saving Lunar Rescue System for astronauts stuck on the Moon. The agency is willing to throw in as much as $20,000 for the best design to safely move a fully suited astronaut across the rugged lunar landscape. The space agency is faced with some of the fiercest problems of extreme temperatures, rough terrains, and hazards from bulky spacesuits-all these challenges have coinage under its Artemis missions.
But have you developed a great idea for the ultimate rescue? Then here is your chance to contribute and win it all. The competition runs until January 23, 2025 and submissions are welcome through the HeroX web portal.
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NASA has promised a hefty award for the best design as part of its Genderic Price Pool of $45,000 for the South Pole Safety Challenge: Lunar Rescue System, The Sun reports. With Artemis journey planned for September 2026, the agency is concerned over what if an astronaut suffers incapacitation and ends up alone on the Moon. In such a case, an astronaut's companion should have a reliable means of safely transporting him to the lunar lander.
"In the unforgiving lunar environment, the possibility of an astronaut crewmember becoming incapacitated due to unforeseen circumstances (injury, medical emergency, or a mission-related accident) is a critical concern," Sarah Duglas from NASA said, according to The Sun.
NASA's personnel indicated that while the place has been chosen with the promise that astronauts will have the ability to use water-ice trapped in dark craters, the surface of the Moon is the main focus. The surfaces of the rocks are crammed under boulders measuring as large as 20 meters, while craters vary from 1 to 30 meters wide; thereby making movement too difficult even in ideal conditions.
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The challenge is to develop a scheme adequate to transport fully suited astronauts two kilometers up a slope of 20 degrees without a rover while withstanding harsh conditions at the lunar south pole. This astronaut will be in a heavy spacesuit, meaning that weight on the Moon due to gravity is significantly lower, but too heavy for another astronaut to carry.
Considering the weight and the rugged terrains it covers, it is impossible to carry it manually. Hence, technological means have to be translated into such negating obstacles. "The solution must perform effectively in the Moon’s extreme South Pole environment and operate independently of a lunar rover," NASA explained.
You can apply or submit an application for the public challenge of the organization through the HeroX portal. Entry closes on January 25. Submitted plans will undergo evaluation and judging by a panel of experts and engineers from NASA. The criteria for the evaluation include weight, ease, and impact on the new astronaut's Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Suit. More information can be accessed on their official website.
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