NASA Seeks Student Missions to Send to Space in 2026, Beyond | Space

NASA announced a new round of opportunities for CubeSat, developers to build spacecrafts on that will fly on upcoming launches through the agency’s CSLI (CubeSat Launch Initiative). CubeSats are a class of small spacecraft called nanosatellites.

The initiative provides space access to U.S. educational institutions, certain non-profit organizations, and informal educational institutions such as museums and science centers, as well as NASA centers focused on workforce development, including the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California. It also encourages participation by minority serving institutions.

“Working with CubeSats is a way to get students interested in launching a career in the space industry,” said Jeanie Hall, CSLI program executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “NASA reviews applications for CubeSat missions every year and selects projects with an educational component that also can benefit the agency in better understanding education, science, exploration, and technology.”

Applicants must submit proposals by 5 p.m. EST, Nov. 15. NASA expects to make selections by March 14, 2025, for flight opportunities in 2026-2029, although selection does not guarantee a launch opportunity. Applicants are responsible for funding the development of the small satellites.

Selected CubeSats get assigned a launch and deployment directly…