About NASA Space Apps
NASA Space Apps is an innovation and public engagement program under NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. 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. NASA Space Apps is composed of two programs: the NASA International Space Apps Challenge and the NASA Space Apps Collective.
NASA Space Apps is funded by NASA's Earth Science Division 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 regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, race, disability, physical appearance, body size, age or religion.
- 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 diversity, equity, inclusion, support, 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.
If you experience or witness discrimination, harassment, or any form of bullying during the NASA Space Apps Collective Genius Summit, or have any other concerns, please contact the NASA Space Apps Collective Team at [email protected]. The Collective Team will take appropriate action, which may include warning or expelling offending participants from the event.
The NASA International Space Apps Challenge is the largest annual global hackathon. This two-day event creates innovation through international collaboration by providing an opportunity for participants to utilize NASA’s free and open data and its Space Agency Partners’ space-based data to address real-world problems on Earth and in space.
During the hackathon, NASA Space Apps Challenge participants around the world gather at hundreds of in-person and virtual Local Events to address challenges submitted by NASA Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). These challenges range in complexity and topic, tasking participants with everything from creating artistic visualizations of NASA data to conceptualizing and developing informational apps and software programs.
After the hackathon, project submissions are judged by space agency experts and winners are selected for one of 10 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.
NASA Space Apps collaborates with an amazing community from around the world to make the NASA Space Apps Challenge happen. In addition to the thousands of hackathon participants around the world, NASA Space Apps collaborates with:
- Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): SMEs author challenge statements and offer their help during the event by answering participant questions in real time.
- 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.
- Collaborators: There are two types of NASA Space Apps Collaborators: Global Collaborators and Amplification Collaborators. 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. Amplification Collaborators are companies or organizations that promote the NASA Space Apps Challenge to their communities.
- Want to participate in the NASA Space Apps Challenge? The best place to start getting involved is the Participant FAQ where you will find a step-by-step breakdown of what it looks like to participate.
- Do you want to join us as a Local Lead to host a NASA Space Apps Challenge for your city? Learn more about how to become a Local Lead here.
- Reach out to the GO Team at [email protected] to learn about other engagement opportunities, such as becoming a Collaborator or Navigator.
- For the latest updates, follow us Space Apps on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
The NASA Space Apps Collective builds capacity and skills for the NASA Space Apps community as well as the general public. Through year-round communications and workshops, participants learn from each other as well as from NASA and space agency subject matter experts. With this knowledge, participants are empowered to use NASA’s free and open data to advance NASA mission priorities and make a difference both locally and globally. The NASA Space Apps Collective operates independently while maintaining a complementary relationship with the NASA International Space Apps Challenge.
You can sign up for the Collective newsletter here to receive updates on the latest workshops and opportunities.